The Enemy Within?
by GreatLight432
Summary: After the battle with Zeromous, everyone is ready to live peaceful lives. But why is Sephiroth having such horrible nightmares? Nightmares of...himself killing Hotaru? And what does the future now hold for everyone? COMPLETE!
1. Prologue

Sailor Moon: The Enemy Within?  
  
Disclaimer: This fanfic is written for the sole purpose of free entertainment. No attempt is made in any way, shape or form to garner ownership or profit from the Sailor Senshi, Sephiroth, or Urawa. They are the sole property of Naoko Takeuchi and Squaresoft. Any attempts to sue me will be rewarded with a warm cup of jack squat.  
  
Author's notes: This story takes place approximately a year-and-a-half after the events of my previous work, "Crystal Dreams". If you have not already done so, I highly suggest you leave this story right now, and read that first, as things mentioned here will make a bit more sense in those regards. This fanfic is also dedicated to Jean Lynn, aka princess_5775, for the support and motivational butt kicks she has given me. I love ya, Jean!:) With that said, enjoy the story!  
  
Prologue  
  
It has become a popular saying that we are born into this world cold, wet, and hungry...and then things become worse.  
  
For one man lying out in the wastelands...things may only become worse for those around him.  
  
As the man struggled to return from unconsciousness, he became aware of numerous things almost simultaneously. Due to his analytical mind, he was able to instantly ascertain several things.  
  
One, he felt like crap...but had no immediately apparent injuries.  
  
Two, he was lying face-first on the ground, which was extremely cold. This in itself would not have been unusual, if not for the fact that it was still dirt, and not snow or ice.  
  
And three, judging by the lack of voices nearby, and the howling wind whipping across his body, he was outside.  
  
With a supreme effort, the man opened his eyes and rolled onto his back with a small groan that was snatched away by the fierce winds. A few moments of rest later, he managed to sit up, so as to better survey his surroundings.  
  
Most people, he reflected, would have been shocked or dismayed to have awakened in such a desolate place-one so devoid of not only human life, but ANY life. To the newly awakened stranger, however, it was only another obstacle to overcome on his way to...  
  
The sudden pause in his thought process startled the man, and confusion furrowed his brow as he tried to grasp at his memory. It immediately became a frustrating chore, as he could feel that he was so close...  
  
His head snapped up as a crunch of gravel was heard behind him. Whirling as he leapt to his feet, the man quickly spotted the creatures that had been approaching stealthily, or so they thought. Two creatures that resembled flamboyantly mustachioed lynxes, accompanied by another pair of gray-skinned ogres paused in surprise as they realized that their sneak attack had failed, but emboldened by their advantage, encircled their prey in preparation for an attack.  
  
The man flung his long silver hair back with a single jerk of his head, never taking his eyes off of his opponents for a moment. As he tracked the two creatures that were traversing around him, he spotted a glint of metal on the ground. Risking a brief second to glance at it, he was mildly surprised to discover an extraordinarily long, curved sword laying on the ground. Having no other options as far as a weapon went, the man quickly brandished the blade, noting with detached surprise that his body almost instinctively went into an unorthodox combat stance, the sword held point forward near his face, his body poised sideways, weight on the balls of his feet, and center of gravity kept low.  
  
It was just as well, for with a roar, one of the lynx creatures leapt at the swordsman from behind, it's paws outstretched to pin the human to the ground for a leisurely dismemberment.  
  
The man remained in a relaxed state for an indeterminable period of time, appearing almost as if he preferred to give up rather than fight. With an unnatural speed, however, the silver-haired fighter rolled backward two feet, under the lynx's arc, and stabbed upward, impaling the creature on his new weapon.  
  
A scream of pain quickly transformed itself into a gurgling rattle as the beast spasmed and went limp. Grunting slightly with the exertion, the cat's killer shoved it's corpse to the side, and pulled his blade out just in time to face the next attack.  
  
The next wave consisted of the two ogres blindly charging at him, apparently having learned nothing from the death of their cohort. This time, the warrior answered with a charge of his own, meeting the two giants halfway. One ogre swung his crude club down with a powerful effort, narrowly missing its intended target, who leapt out of the impact area, only to be slightly staggered by the shockwave. This gave time for the ogre's partner to launch a powerful punch that only missed because the swordsman spun to see what had caused the rush of wind behind him.  
  
A sudden burst of rage overwhelmed the man, and with a roar, he pointed at the offending creature, creating a blast of flame that erupted from the ground, consuming its target. The ogre had no time to let out a shout of pain, or challenge, or even to twitch before it became little more than blackened ash. With a supremely self-confident and chilling smile, the man turned to face his remaining foes...  
  
...Only to find that they were fleeing as fast as they possibly could, the fight apparently having been drained from them. A brief mental struggle was waged in the man's mind, and with a smirk and shrug, he gestured once more, blasting both of his targets with several powerful bolts of lightning that superheated their bodies so quickly they literally exploded.  
  
With the fight over, the man slowly lowered his hand, and gazed around at his handiwork...not that there was much left to observe. However, as his eyes lingered on the only remaining intact corpse, a flash of memory came to him...  
  
Flames, death...all who oppose me and my Mother...  
  
Screams of mercy, blood flowing from the wounds inflicted by my sword...  
  
The ultimate secret, power...The Promised Land...Ancients...  
  
It was as if the word was a switch in the recesses of his mind, unlocking the memories he had tried to grasp moments ago manually. His eyes widened in sudden comprehension, and a slow, cold smile appeared on his face. It was all so clear now, that he was somewhat embarassed that he hadn't understood before.  
  
Being unsure of where he was, or even if his Mother had been deposited in the same place as himself, Sephiroth decided to head for the nearest town, gather information, and then...  
  
He grinned, and actually laughed. "All work and no play makes a dull boy," he quipped. His silver hair whipping about him like a feathery cloak, he set off in a randomly picked direction, eager to see what the day brought him. 


	2. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: Since my conception of the prologue, I feel that there are a few more people who deserve to be honorably mentioned. And since I only know a good portion of them by screenname, here they are: guardianmercury, MillieHime, rubeus_of_the_negamoon, UsagiSmores, girl of darkness, PrincessJupiter-04, frostblast, feral_lynx, CrescentofMyth, and BigelowFF. Thanks for your support, all of you! If you didn't see your name mentioned here, don't worry...the story's not done yet, so you've still got a chance.;)  
  
Disclaimer: Takeuchi-sama and Squaresoft own all. I own nothing. Don't sue.  
  
Chapter One  
  
Serin quickly signed off on the last report that had graced his desk, and sighed in relief.  
  
"Finally!" he muttered as he pushed the offending folder into his 'out' box. Standing a moment, he twisted his neck this way and that, sighing in relief as the kinks popped out. After a moment of that, he turned to pour himself some grape juice when he heard the door open behind him.  
  
"Unless you're here to pick up my outgoing files, I don't want to hear about it," the paladin threw over his shoulder.  
  
A familiar polite cough nearly had him drop his glass, but he quickly set it down, and simultaneously saluted as he turned to face his visitor. "K...King Endymion! I'm sorry, I thought..."  
  
Endymion laughed, and waved away the explanation still being formed by his brother-in-law. "Serin, I've told you before, formalities don't apply to private settings. We're family, after all."  
  
Serin relaxed slightly, a slight smile on his face. "Maybe so, but I think it's best to at least keep in the habit of proper decorum." Gesturing to his visitor chairs, the paladin returned to his drink bar. "Make yourself comfortable, Mamoru. Can I get you anything?"  
  
"Hot chocolate, if you have it," came the reply.  
  
A brief moment later, the two sat across from each other, each sipping at their respective drinks. Finally, the king broke the silence. "So...how have things been going with the CTDF(Crystal Tokyo Defense Force)?"  
  
Serin rolled his eyes, expressing his feelings on the matter quite clearly before he even spoke. "About like one would expect. Sephiroth and I are trying to remain on the conservative side of the issue, keeping the enlistment numbers down, and staying away from the touchy subjects of weapon development, stressing over and over that our goal is only the stability of Crystal Tokyo, not enforcing our will on everyone." A sigh began his next statement. "Unfortunately, not everyone sees it that way. Do you remember the report that I gave you on Raida?"  
  
Endymion thought back for a moment, his eyes closed in thought behind his white mask. "She was the one who was trying to create a perfect soldier, wasn't she? A hybrid between man and machine?"  
  
Serin nodded. "Apparently, some people still think that's a good idea. Oh, they give the usual flimsy excuses, saying that they wouldn't proceed without authorization, or that the research could have benign purposes, but..." Serin shook his head in disgust.  
  
Endymion grimaced in sympathy. While Serin and Sephiroth headed off many weapon development requests from the army, he and his wife still got a good number of them from people who hoped to overrule the two military commanders, and therefore he was quite aware of the excuses used by those who hoped to get their way. "I understand. Apparently, people aren't willing to accept the fact that we live in a new era, where conventional weapons don't work that well...assuming they are needed at all."  
  
Serin nodded in agreement, but before he could respond with his own observations, the door opened again, admitting the second commander of the defense force. His eyes widened slightly, and with a moderate, polite bow, Sephiroth stepped fully into the room, closing the door behind him. A warm smile graced his sharp face as he clasped the king's shoulder. "Your Majesty, I trust you are well?" he asked.  
  
Endymion rolled his eyes in mock exasperation. No matter what he had been told, Sephiroth absolutely refused to drop the titles whether they were meeting in public or not. His only reply when asked why was that he felt it to be disrespectful whether he had their blessing or not. So, annoying as it was, both Endymion and Serenity had learned to put up with his little quirk. "Quite fine, Sephiroth." Shooting a glance at his brother-in-law, he asked, "Is there something you needed to discuss with your cohort?"  
  
Sephiroth shot a playfully arrogant smirk at the king. "Nothing so important that you couldn't stick around," he quipped.  
  
Both Serin and Endymion chuckled, the old joke relaxing the two after their tense discussion. Sephiroth waited until the laughter had died down, and then added, "Actually, I was wanting to double-check your schedule, Serin. You're still free for the inspection this Tuesday, right?"  
  
A blank look from the paladin quickly resolved into a shocked realization. "Oh, SHIT!" he swore. "I SO do not believe I forgot that!" Grabbing a scratchpad, he quickly jotted a memo down, and then stuck it in the middle of the ink blotter that covered his desk. Looking back up at his co-commander, he apologized, "I made a promise to supervise some small negotiations between the Business Union and the Transportation Bureau. But if you don't mind leaving a bit later, then I can still accompany you."  
  
Sephiroth nodded in understanding. "That's fine. Just don't forget this time," he added with a smirk and a mock-warning tone to his voice.  
  
"Excuse me, but...what inspection is this?" Endymion cut in to ask.  
  
Serin turned back to the king with a small frown. "I thought you got the report over a week ago."  
  
Endymion shrugged slightly. "I probably did, but asking me to remember one report out of the milllions that get forwarded to me is like asking an operator at the Treasury to remember one coin out of all that are processed. So, please, refresh my memory," he asked while taking another sip of his drink.  
  
Serin folded his hands together, and began: "Approximately two weeks ago, an archeological team came across some previously undiscovered ruins. Initial analysis indicated that the inside was completely stabilized, and its contents were also undisturbed."  
  
Sephiroth continued, "We ordered several probes to be sent in, not willing to risk anyone setting off traps that could endanger lives at that time. What the probes sent back was...unsettling, to say the least." A deep breath was followed by his leveling a very serious gaze at the Crystal Tokyo monarch. "When you were in North America, your majesty, do you remember hearing about a place called NORAD?"  
  
Endymion thought back, trying to recall if he had, indeed, heard that word before. "I...think I have. Isn't that the place..." his voice trailed off as he suddenly shot a look of horror at his two subordinates.  
  
Serin nodded as he finished the king's thought. "Where the US President and his Cabinet could retreat to if the capitol were ever endangered." Tapping his desk briefly, he added, "Images from those probes we sent in indicate that we've located the site."  
  
Endymion exhaled heavily, leaning back in his chair. "I see why you're taking such interest in this. If that is in fact NORAD, and someone with less than honorable intentions got in..."  
  
Sephiroth hastened to cut off the direction the ruler was heading in. "Actually, we're still not sure. For all we know, NORAD may just be a glorified hole in the mountain, instead of the technological fortress that rumors purport it to be. Still, you're right, we're not taking chances. I've even taken the liberty of requesting Sailor Mercury to join us on this tour, as her technological expertise will be invaluable."  
  
Endymion nodded in approval. "Good choice." After the uncomfortable silence which followed, the Crystal Tokyo ruler directed the conversation onto a more cheerful track. "Well...about my original reason for coming here...I, uh...actually was hoping to get some ideas for a gift for my wife."  
  
Serin instantly knew what was coming up in the near future, but it was Sephiroth who beat him to the punch. "The queen's birthday is tomorrow," he stated with certainty.  
  
Endymion nodded, a rather embarrassed look appearing on his face as he placed his cup on the desk. "Yeah...and for the first time in forty- five years, I have absolutely no clue what to give her for a gift."  
  
Both commanders looked at each other with a measure of surprise at that. Despite the closeness of their own relationships, they still envied the bond that existed between the two monarchs of Crystal Tokyo. What few arguments there were got resolved within a matter of a day at most. Serin still vividly remembered one particular argument he'd gotten into with Makoto, the results of which had him sleeping on the couch in their quarters for the next week, and no words being exchanged between them in at least that long.  
  
The paladin's reverie was broken by Sephiroth piping up, "Well...could you get her the same thing that you got last year?"  
  
Endymion bit his lip as he weighed that possibility for a moment, then regretfully shook his head. "No...I'd look desperate then. I want to try getting something new each year...even though it gets harder all the time."  
  
Serin remained silent as his comrade put forth another suggestion. "Okay...has she hinted at anything that she wants?"  
  
With a frustrated growl, the king surged to his feet, whirling to face one of the walls of the office. "No. I've been agonizing over this each day, and I'm running out of time." To emphasize this point, he slammed a fist onto the wall with a loud 'thud'.  
  
Serin cocked his head thoughtfully as the word 'Time' brought forth an idea into his head. Refusing to cast it aside out of hand, the paladin instead mulled it over, analyzing it carefully...and then a broad grin formed on his face. "Hey, Mamoru...I have a wild-assed idea, if you're interested. In fact, I think it may be the one gift that never gets old."  
  
Endymion and Sephiroth both turned in surprise to look at their friend. "Well, let's hear it. I'm desperate," the king pleaded.  
  
So Serin told them. A moment of shocked silence filled the room before it was broken by, naturally, Endymion.  
  
"No way. It can't be done. We'll just have to think of something else," he said with finality.  
  
Or at least, Endymion thought it sounded like finality. Serin, who knew his brother-in-law quite well, could easily see and hear that the idea was growing on him. All that was needed was a little push. "But, Mamoru, I'm sure you've heard her ask for this. And what better time than right now? We're at peace, the government's running quite smoothly, and business is booming."  
  
"I actually have to agree with my comrade on this one. It's the perfect gift. In fact..." a wicked glint appeared in his eyes as he smirked, "We might as well make it a group outing. I'm sure Her Majesty would love to have her friends along."  
  
The king slowly turned to face Sephiroth, his eyes clearly communicating 'Why are you doing this to me?' to the silver haired commander. But seeing that neither of them were willing to back down, he sighed and conceded defeat. Secretly, however, he did have to admit that it definitely appeared to be the perfect birthday gift, the answer to his prayers. However, a sudden problem appeared to stand in the way of making it a reality. "Wait a minute...what about everyone else? They might panic if we disappear for a day with no word."  
  
Simultaneous mischievous grins appeared on both commander's faces at the king's question. Serin spoke first: "Well, Sephiroth and I won't be a problem. I can just cut some orders saying that we're going out to supplement the senshi in guarding you and Usagi. That might raise a few eyebrows, but I don't think anyone will really object."  
  
Sephiroth then picked up the line, "As for you and Her Majesty, just leave a note. Make it into a 'research trip to see how the other half lives', or something. I think that Vashti and Medivh can handle affairs for one day."  
  
Endymion chuckled as he shook his head. "Well, it seems that you guys have pretty much thought of everything. So, I guess we'll give it a shot. Just remember, if something happens, I'm blaming it all on you two."  
  
Sephiroth grinned. "Don't worry so much. After all, what could possibly go wrong?" 


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Do you seriously think that I'm writing this story for money? Excuse me while I laugh in your face, and sell you a fertile piece of land in the Sahara. Takeuchi-sama and Squaresoft own these characters. I own nothing. My lifestyle proves it. Case closed.  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Sephiroth returned home that night with a small smile on his face. The smile had quite a bit to do with the help he and Serin had given to Endymion, but it wasn't the main reason at all.  
  
As if seeking a degree of reassurance, Sephiroth pulled out a small box from his coat pocket and simply stared at it for some time, as if anything about it had changed. With a shake of his head, the military commander dismissed that thought...but he couldn't deny that he was still extremely nervous about the directions that his future could go. He also couldn't deny that he didn't want a future without Hotaru at his side, as his wife.  
  
So, he had gone out and spent a great degree of cash to get an appropriate engagement ring. He had taken Hotaru out on a number of occasions, having her try out various rings and mentally cataloguing the things that she said she liked. When the time finally came, Sephiroth had explicitly specified the custom ring that he wanted made: a golden band with a ring of flourite stones that were interwoven with strands of silver. Once he had all the required information he had, in true gentlemanly custom, requested Haruka and Michiru's permission and blessing to marry their adopted daughter.  
  
A faint chuckle escaped his lips as he recalled the discussion that the wind senshi had put him through...  
  
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Haruka stood in front of him, clad in her usual off-duty wear of jeans and a men's button down shirt. She stared at him for a moment, her gaze never wavering once. Sephiroth kept his head bowed, but his gaze occasionally stole glances at the masculine senshi, awaiting her verdict.  
  
Michiru stood off to the side, watching this uncomfortable standoff, dressed in her own off-duty wear of a casual skirt and blouse ensemble. She had made no secret of her joy upon hearing the commander's request. She had been naturally been quick to give her approval to the union, but the water senshi also knew that her companion's approval would not be so easy to attain.  
  
Finally, when it seemed that the silence would reach the breaking point, Haruka spoke: "Why do you want to marry Hotaru, Sephiroth?"  
  
The commander looked up in surprise at what he thought was such an inane question, but stopped himself before he could speak. A strategist first and foremost, he could sense the trick to this question, and therefore planned his answer accordingly. When he felt he had an appropriate answer, Sephiroth replied, "I could say because I love her, which is true, but it's only one part of it." He took a deep breath, and then plunged ahead. "The real truth is that she has gone through many similar ordeals as I have-losing our mothers at a young age, watching our fathers descend into madness, and being utilized as guinea pigs for experiments. And...despite all of that, she...she's become such a strong woman."  
  
Sephiroth then looked up at his soon-to-be-in-law. "It's because of that, that I love her so much. And...I promise to make her so happy, that those memories of the past will fade away. I...I only wish to have your blessing."  
  
Haruka pursed her lips briefly, her serious gaze remaining on her face. "I don't know, Sephiroth. Quite frankly, I think there's still some things that make Hotaru too good for you. She's been through a lot, yes...and as her 'papa', I will do whatever it takes to keep her from getting hurt ever again."  
  
Sephiroth blinked, then set his jaw. "If by that, you mean to refuse..."  
  
Haruka raised an eyebrow challengingly. "Then what, Sephiroth? What do you plan to do? Beg?"  
  
A flash of anger over Haruka's stubborness raced through the swordsman's mind, but he kept his tone civil, though cool and determined. "If you mean to refuse...then I will marry Hotaru anyway. With," and at that, he shot a glance at Michiru before returning it to her partner, "Or without your consent. And I will spend the rest of my life showing you just how wrong you are about me and my promise."  
  
Haruka's eyes narrowed, and she stepped to within a foot of the military commander. Despite the slight difference in their heights, the wind senshi still managed to make an imposing sight that made Michiru ready to step in and break them apart if need be. Before too long, the tension was broken once more.  
  
"I hope for your own sake you aren't lying, Sephiroth. Because if you hurt Hotaru in any way, I will make you pay for it twofold," Haruka said in an even tone.  
  
It took a moment for the silver haired commander to process the words separately from the tone, but when he did, his eyes widened. "You..."  
  
Haruka showed a small smile. "Yes. I give you my approval and blessing to make Hotaru-chan your wife. Just don't break your promise, okay?"  
  
Overcome with gratitude, Sephiroth bowed deeply. "I...you have my word! I would sooner die than harm Hotaru. I...thank you so much, both of you!"  
  
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The swordsman came out of his reverie just in time to realize that he was at his own quarters. Putting the ring box away, he opened the door and stepped inside. Taking a quick glance at the clock in his living room, Sephiroth was surprised to note that he only had an hour before Hotaru was supposed to arrive for dinner. Muttering a short curse, the swordsman rushed to the bathroom, stripping before he stepped into the shower. Fifteen minutes later, he stood in front of his mirror, fully dressed in a semi-formal white business shirt with a black sport jacket on top of it. As he brushed a few stray strands of lint from the fabric, a sudden wave of dizziness hit him. Struggling to stay upright, the commander grabbed the chest of drawers nearby as darkness overtook him, a faint cry escaping his lips...  
  
And suddenly, he was upright. At least, he assumed so, as it was a bit hard to tell with no ground beneath him, and no visible surroundings to get his bearings. Frantically searching the area, the swordsman was bewildered, to say the least. His eyes quickly adjusted to the inky blackness, and he was able to make out a shape approaching soundlessly.  
  
A grimace briefly crossed his face as he realized that he had no weapon. With a slight shrug, Sephiroth brought his hands up in a relaxed defensive posture, and called out, "Who's there?!"  
  
The figure appeared to pause briefly, then resumed its approach. Try as he might, Sephiroth could still not make out who it was, and a trace of anger crept into his voice. "If you do not identify yourself, I will force it out of you! Now speak!!"  
  
Silence greeted him until the silhouette was within a few feet. As it stopped, a low, mocking laugh began to emanate from all around him. The laughter grew in volume, straining Sephiroth's patience to the breaking point. With a roar of anger, the swordsman leapt at his tormentor...or at least, he tried to. Unfortunately, the lack of ground beneath his feet considerably hindered his movement, and he was unable to do anything more than flail wildly in midair.  
  
It was at this point that the silhouette stepped into the light...or perhaps chose to reveal itself. And despite all that he had seen and witnessed, Sephiroth could not help but gasp in utter shock at the sight.  
  
The man who stood in front of him was, for all intents and purposes, his identical twin. Dressed in Sephiroth's trademark trench coat, and wielding a blade that bore more than a passing resemblance to his fabled Masamune, it wasn't until the swordsman looked into his double's eyes that he saw a difference. Where his own eyes were friendly, yet intense, this doppleganger's own orbs were filled with what could charitably be called fanatic hatred.  
  
The faux Sephiroth grinned coldly, and reached back into the darkness, pulling forward another person, which he deposited roughly between the two of them...  
  
"Hotaru!" Sephiroth screamed. His love had cuts and bruises all over her body, and several portions of her fuku looked like they had seen better days.  
  
"Hotaru, wake up! Please, wake up!" the warrior pleaded. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as the senshi of silence stirred, opened her eyes, and gazed at her love.  
  
"S...Seph...kun...I..." she whispered.  
  
A whisper of movement caught Sephiroth's eye, and he glanced up in time to see his clone raising its blade. The warrior was too stunned to even attempt to move, but he managed to scream, "NO!!!" just as his double tensed, bringing the sword down with a sharp whistle...  
  
..."NO!!!" he screamed, jerking awake. His eyes again frantically scanned the area, his relief only abating slightly as he realized that he was in his apartment again.  
  
"Sephiroth?"  
  
The innocent question caused the warrior to jerk unconsciously as he turned around, clambering to his feet. "Oh, uh...hi, Hotaru."  
  
Hotaru, dressed in a conservative dark purple party dress, frowned in deep concern at Sephiroth. "What happened? You didn't answer your door, and when I came in, you were lying on the floor out cold. And now, all of a sudden you woke up screaming."  
  
Sephiroth blinked several times as he gathered his thoughts. Truth be told, even he wasn't sure what had happened-a dream it may have been, but the implications...he shuddered briefly before getting himself under control. Glancing at his love's face, he could easily see that she had been deeply frightened by finding him in this state. There was, naturally, no sense in frightening her further.  
  
Summoning what he hoped was a convincing smile, he replied, "Sorry Hotaru-chan. I...guess I've just been working too hard. I was just standing around, getting some lint off my jacket, and...well, just kinda blacked out." Walking over, he hugged her gently. "Sorry to have worried you."  
  
He could tell, due to the pause before she returned his embrace, that she didn't believe him. Keeping his mind blank, he tried not to send any troubling thoughts through their psychic link, despite the tentative probing he could feel from her. Pulling back briefly, he gave a genuine smile. "So, dear senshi of silence; what do I have to do to convince you that I'm fine?"  
  
Hotaru blinked for a moment, then got an impish grin on her face. "Kiss me, you dope," she said, swatting him playfully for effect.  
  
Her beau laughed and proceeded to do just that, thankful that he had distracted her from his troublesome dream. He was certain that that's all it was. He'd had a bad scare, but it was over now.  
  
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Only a half-hour later, the two of them sat in a posh restaurant, laughing and softly talking as they enjoyed their meal. Hotaru was enjoying one of her favorite foods, soba with tempura, while Sephiroth went a more American route, and was partaking in a 7 oz steak with a baked potato.  
  
As the evening wore on, Hotaru closely watched Sephiroth as he fiddled with the last remnants of his food. Her brow creased with confusion as he glanced up at her, jumped when he saw that she was looking at him, and then quickly averted his gaze again.  
  
'Strange,' she thought. 'He's never acted like this before...I wonder what's got him so nervous? Did he get some new assignment or something? Or could it be...?' Before she could dwell on the matter any more, her love cleared his throat, and seemingly reluctantly sat up straight.  
  
"U, um...Hotaru-chan..." Sephiroth started.  
  
The senshi of silence smiled at her beau. "What is it, Seph-kun?"  
  
With that smile, bit by bit, the commander could feel his confidence fleeing him every second. Biting his lip, he tried to regain the upper hand and continue.  
  
'It's not gonna work, it's not gonna work, you're gonna sound like an idiot,' he could hear the nagging doubts shout in his mind. But at the same time, what little confidence he had retaliated with, 'But you know that there's no way in Hades that she's going to say no. And besides, she said before that she loves you for you, right? So just SAY IT already!!!'  
  
With that burst of confidence, Sephiroth continued with his speech; "I, uh...I had a talk with your parents not too long ago. We, uh...we talked about quite a few things-like what my intentions are, and how you're too good for me..."  
  
Hotaru frowned deeply at that, but her displeasure wasn't directed anywhere near her boyfriend. 'That sounds an awful lot like something Haruka-papa would say...I think I need to have a talk with her after Sephiroth drops me off at home...'  
  
Unaware that his future fiancee wasn't listening at the moment, Sephiroth spoke on and on in his little circles, until finally, Hotaru returned to her senses in time to hear: "...which brings me to this date...well, this moment."  
  
Hotaru felt a sense of apprehension in her chest. 'Did Haruka-papa or Michiru-mama tell him to break up with me? No, please tell me that...Wait...if that was the case, he was far too happy about going out with me tonight, so...'  
  
Sephiroth, unaware of his fiancee's monologue, slid out of the chair, came around the table, and knelt beside her. Taking her left hand, the swordsman simultaneously pulled out his small surprise, and with one deft movement, pulled the ring out of its case, placing it on her finger. With a surprising amount of strength behind his words, he whispered, "Hotaru Tomoe...Sailor Saturn. I would be most honored and delighted...if you would be my wife. Willwill you marry me?"  
  
The next several moments seemed to drag on and on for Sephiroth as he patiently awaited Hotaru's answer. He was firm on his unspoken pledge not to probe Hotaru's mind, so he remained in his kneeling position, and began praying, 'Please, anyone up there who may be listening...please make her say yes...'  
  
Hotaru, for her own part, could only hear those last four words reverberating in her head. It was as if time had stopped and there was a complete vacuum around her, keeping any other sounds from shattering the spell she had just been put under. Needless to say, this was a complete surprise, despite the talking that they had done on that subject before. Even when Sephiroth had listened attentively as Hotaru tried on different rings, verbally cataloguing the pros and cons of each one, she still hadn't expected this so soon.  
  
And yet, Hotaru knew that this was what they had both wanted for so long...for too long, in the senshi's case. A faint smile appeared on her lips as her eyes watered with joyful tears. She knew that it was such a cliche, but she understood now what the other senshi were talking about when they spoke of the magic moment. Certain that her voice was going to break, but beyond caring, she said, "Aishiteru, Sephiroth...and yes, I would love for nothing more than to be your wife."  
  
It was at that moment that Sephiroth slumped, letting a huge breath of relief. He looked back up at his fiancee with a silly grin on his face. "Despite how well we know each other, I had my doubts there for a moment..." the swordsman admitted as he gave a tender kiss to Hotaru's hand while returning to his seat.  
  
The senshi of silence got an absolutely wicked grin on her face at that moment. "Really? Then I guess I'll have to make sure I permanently cure those doubts..."  
  
The tone, not to mention her words, threw her beloved for a loop. "Eh? What do you...huh?!?" he uttered while jerking to a ramrod stiff position as Hotaru's foot ran along his lower body...especially...  
  
A fine sheen of sweat appeared on Sephiroth's brow, which he attempted to relieve with a glass of water. "U, uh...Hotaru-chan, there's...people around..."  
  
The young woman giggled playfully. "Then I guess we'd better go somewhere where there aren't any people, hm? I don't know about you, but I've lost my appetite for this food..." she answered in a seductive tone.  
  
A little suspicious about the sudden change, Sephiroth asked, "Um...Hotaru-chan, are you alright?"  
  
Hotaru smiled genuinely at her fiance's concern. "I'm fine, love. But if you don't hurry up and finish your dinner, then you'll have to wait until our honeymoon to collect on the prize I'm offering." She finished with a wink, and her foot teased Sephiroth's lower body again.  
  
That was all the motivation her boyfriend needed to call for the check, pay, and practically drag his fiancee out of the restaurant, both of them laughing out the door at their own exuberance.  
  
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The next morning...  
  
Serenity slowly awoke from a restful, giddy sleep. Even though the power of the Ginzuishou gave everyone in the city of Crystal Tokyo virtual immortality, birthdays failed to lose their significance...particularly when it came to a certain odango-haired monarch.  
  
Giggling with barely restrained exuberance, Serenity sat up, stretched, and turned to the other lump in bed. "Mamo-chan..." she crooned softly, almost teasingly.  
  
A low grunt was the only response from the king, and Serenity laughed softly. "Mamo-chan, wake up. You aren't going to sleep the whole day away, are you?"  
  
Endymion rolled over with a groan, blinked a couple of times to adjust his eyes, and smiled at his wife. "Three hundred and sixty four days out of the year, you don't get out of bed before noon. When your birthday rolls around, however..."  
  
"Three hundred and sixty THREE," Serenity corrected with a touch of indignance. "I get up early for Christmas too."  
  
Endymion flat out grinned. "That's only because our daughter wakes up at the crack of dawn and drops the alarm clock on both of our heads to wake us up, Usa-ko."  
  
Serenity laughed. "Okay, but still..."  
  
It was at this moment that their chamber doors flew open, allowing a pink comet to come barreling through before launching itself into the air and landing with a soft 'poomf' on both occupants. "Morning, Mom and Dad!"  
  
Endymion grunted playfully, acting as though his daughter was heavier than she really was. "Oof! Usa-chan, you weigh a ton! What'd you do, put bricks in your pockets?"  
  
Chibi-usa(now known more commonly as Usa-chan, especially by her friends and family), glared at her father. While six years ago(had it really been that long, Endymion thought) the effect was comical at best(and irritating to Usagi at worst), it now had the effect of conveying genuine anger...for those who didn't know better, at least.  
  
Serenity sat up and ruffled her daughter's hair. "Hey spore, what's the occasion?"  
  
The glare that the princess had been directing at her father suddenly zeroed in on its new target, but only for a moment. Where Usagi might have truly meant that in the past when Chibi-usa dropped in for her unannounced visits, here it became one of her many terms of affection.  
  
Smiling at her mother, she said, "Well, I just wanted to be the first person to wish you a happy birthday, Mom!"  
  
"Oh darn. You beat me out by a few seconds, Usa-chan," Endymion said with mock regret.  
  
Serenity giggled playfully. "Thank you, both of you. That really means a lot."  
  
Endymion kissed his wife's cheek a couple of times, and in response, she turned and kissed him deeply before a sense of deja vu came over them, starting with the words, "Hey, you two, cool off!"  
  
Usa-chan grabbed her Luna-P ball, which had transformed itself into a squirt gun, and shot a couple of jets of ice cold water at the two of them, drawing shrieks from the queen, and laughter from the king. She was only able to keep it up for a moment, however, before Serenity wrested the squirt gun from her daughter and began to mercilessly tickle her. This sent the princess into a hysterical fit, until she finally screamed, "Uncle, UNCLE!!! HAHAHAAA!!!"  
  
Only then did Serenity allow her daughter up from the humorous torture. For her part, Usa-chan acted for a moment as if she was going to resume squirting her parents, but instead only picked up Luna-P, and gave her mother a kiss. "Happy Birthday again, Mom."  
  
Endymion cut in at this moment, saying, "Usa-chan, why don't you take a shower real quick? We've all got to have one before your mother's birthday can really start."  
  
"Okay, Dad! I'll be out in a minute!" And with those words, the princess headed for her parent's bathroom.  
  
Serenity sighed and leaned back. "She is such a sweet daughter. It's almost hard to believe that I thought she was such a pain all those years ago."  
  
Endymion grinned. "I don't believe you stopped at just 'pain', love."  
  
A playful punch to the arm was his only answer before the queen rose from their bed and pulled the drapes open, staring out at the cityscape below the palace. Endymion followed his wife's example, and rose from bed as well, walking up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. The queen sighed and snuggled against her husband's chest as they continued to admire the view.  
  
"Two years of peace," Serenity whispered. "I almost feel like the events from before are nothing more than a bad dream, and yet..."  
  
Endymion gave the queen a gentle squeeze. "Hey, now...everyone knows the truth. They know that it wasn't you giving all those scurrilous orders. And it's obvious that they still trust you."  
  
Serenity nodded, reflecting on the day she had returned to Crystal Tokyo...truly returned. The first thing she had done was explain to everyone in the city what had truly happened. Her explanation had been finished with saying that if the citizenry did not trust her and wished to have her step down, then she would do so.  
  
There had been a unanimous vote: their queen would always remain their queen.  
  
Endymion kissed Serenity's cheek. "Come on, Usa-ko, it's your birthday. Let's not have any gloom-and-doom talk, okay?"  
  
Serenity smiled and kissed her husband back. "Okay, Mamo-chan." Slipping out of her love's embrace, she headed for the bathroom, and looked back over her shoulder. "Aren't you going to join me?"  
  
The king grinned. "And do our part for water conservation?" he teased.  
  
"Oh, you're horrible!" the queen responded, her words at odds with the smile on her face.  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Endymion corrected, "Not as horrible as when we first met."  
  
The memory caused Serenity to bust out laughing. "Haha...That...that wasn't funny, either, hehehe."  
  
"Hey, you were the one who got the 30 on that test, not me," he responded with a grin. With that, Endymion rushed up, scooping his wife into his arms. "Well, as much as I'd like to reminisce about all the times we lovingly insulted each other, I have a big day planned for you, so we'd better get our shower out of the way."  
  
Remembering what he'd said earlier, along with his current choice of words, piqued Serenity's curiousity. "You have a big day planned for me? What about...?" She stopped as Endymion placed his finger on her lips.  
  
"Let's...just say that it's taken care of," he answered vaguely.  
  
Torn between pressing for details, and spoiling the surprise, Serenity decided to let bygones be bygones, and simply held her peace as they entered the bathroom. 


	4. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: People, let me first DEEPLY apologize for not getting this update out sooner! I just could not seem to get this next chapter done right, and finally, at the last second, inspiration hit. I don't think I did too badly on this, so therefore, I submit this to ff.net. Updates should be coming a bit more regularly for a bit after this one, since I know exactly what I want to happen, and when. Enjoy reading this part, and look for more to come shortly.:D It would also appear that I have to give thanks to more people! Personal thanks go to masterharuka, Yukina, and Pisces*Angel. Once more, if you wanna see your name in here, you gotta review! Even if you tell me the story needs work, you'll get your name in here.:D  
  
PS: This chapter has been UPDATED!:D  
  
Disclaimer: I respectfully decline the invitation to join your hallucination in which you believe me to be making a profit off of this story. I will reward you for your thoughts with a nice bomb that will be strapped to your back shortly. Just to put it plainly, so there's no confusion...I own nothing, I make nothing. Have a nice day!  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Just outside a nearby fair, eight individuals discussed the similarities between the events that had brought them here.  
  
"Just what the heck is going on here?!?" Rei shouted impatiently, looking over the group that had gathered. A chorus of shrugs greeted her question, which only irritated the fire senshi further.  
  
"I'm guessing that you're following the same directions we are, huh Rei?" Haruka asked. Also per the letter's request, none save for one of them were in senshi form, having instead been directed to wear the most casual civilian clothes they could, and if possible, wear their hair in a different style.  
  
While most had reluctantly gone along with the instructions(even Haruka, surprisingly) Rei had flat out refused, sensing that something was amiss. Thus, she had shown up ready for trouble as Sailor Mars. Thankfully, they were in a fairly secluded area, so no one would tumble onto their conversation, and perhaps discern who they really were. As an added precaution(albeit a bit of a coincidental one), Urawa was also on hand, having gone with Ami to this proposed rendezvous.  
  
Minako suddenly tapped one finger against her chin. "Now that I think about it, I was going to ask the queen what was up, but the guards told me she wasn't in for the day."  
  
Rei perked up and narrowed her eyes, as if this provided an easy link to vindicate her suspicions. "Did they give any reason?"  
  
Minako shook her head, as Urawa hid a smile behind a cough. He knew exactly what was going on here; had known, in fact, for a week. He could have easily spilled the beans on the whole surprise that Serin, Endymion and Sephiroth had planned, but felt that it was worth it to hold his peace out of respect for their time and effort, if nothing else.  
  
A beeping sound broke up Rei's angry muttering, and everyone reached for their communicators. Haruka and Michiru, however, were faster. "Hotaru?" Michiru queried.  
  
"Hai, Michiru-mama. Where are you guys, by the way? Did you decide not to come?"  
  
"Well Hotaru-chan, we're...discussing some things that are best kept private right now. At least until more information is forthcoming," came the reply from her foster mother.  
  
"Oh. Well, where are you anyway? I'll at least wait with everyone."  
  
Michiru directed her daughter to their location, and within a few moments, the ninth member of the group stepped through the screen of shrubs. Brushing a few needles and leaves from her sleeves, Hotaru quickly surveyed the group, and caught the source of the dissent almost immediately.  
  
"Rei! What are you doing?" she asked in surprise.  
  
Rei folded her arms across her chest. "I'm being prepared for a trap, that's what! This whole gathering reeks of a set up!"  
  
Haruka sighed, putting a hand to her forehead, but it was Makoto who spoke.  
  
"Look Rei, while your devotion to duty is admirable, could you just ease up?" She sighed, and then added, "I wasn't going to say anything, but Serin explained what he was going to be doing last night. This is all part of the king's birthday present to his wife."  
  
At that revelation, talk ceased for some time, being replaced with a few quizzical looks. After a moment, Ami slowly asked, "It seems rather unusual for a birthday present to have us all here..."  
  
Makoto shook her head, a wry smile on her face. "Actually, the present is to give Usagi a day off from her duties. Serin mentioned it would be a kind of throwback to 'the old days'," she responded with a chuckle.  
  
"So that's why Sephiroth took off before I woke up this morning..." Hotaru murmured. When her attention returned to her friends, she was confused as to why they were all staring at her with variations of shock and/or amusement on their faces...save for her parents, who were eyeing her with equal parts suspicion and sternness. It was a long moment before realization dawned on her, and she blushed fiercely at her gaffe.  
  
Before she could correct or defend her statement, the inquisition began.  
  
"Hotaru, how could you...?"  
  
"Did you use...?"  
  
"He didn't force you...?"  
  
"How was he?"  
  
The barrage of questions ended with an almost anticlimatic finality at the last, and slowly, the (mostly) disguised senshi turned to look at the progenitor of that inquiry.  
  
"What?", Minako asked, with an innocence only she could muster.  
  
None had ever seen bigger sweat drops than the ones on her friends' heads at that moment. Though it took some time for them to regain their equilibrium, the senshi finally did, and with a little more order.  
  
Michiru sat her young charge down and looked in Hotaru's eyes. "Hotaru-chan...how did this happen?"  
  
Squirming uncomfortably, the senshi of silence responded, "Well, it...it just happened. But he didn't force me or anything, I...I suggested it."  
  
Haruka, for her part, wasn't sure whether to be proud or uncomfortable with the fact that Hotaru had suddenly developed such boldness, which was obviously the wind senshi's influence. She did, however, feel that a stern talking to would have to be had with the CTDF's commander...this was NOT, in her opinion, what she had given her approval to their marriage for. A significant look passed between Michiru and Haruka at that moment, and the wind senshi slightly nodded. Turning her attention back to their daughter, Michiru began, "Hotaru-chan, I'll understand if you're uncomfortable answering, but I have to know, and I know Haruka does, too." Taking a deep breath, she tried to phrase her next question as delicately as possible, while simultaneously gathering the nerve to say it aloud.  
  
Several of the senshi knew what their friend was about to ask, and wisely decided to keep their mouths shut. While each of them were as tight as sisters, when it came to Hotaru, nobody took precedence over her well- being before the wind and water senshi. A long pause filled the clearing so thoroughly that the air seemed to press down on everyone present. Finally, Michiru spoke.  
  
"Did you...use...well...protection...of any kind?" she finally asked.  
  
Hotaru stared at the ground, her cheeks positively burning. Her mother tried to lean down to look at the young girl's eyes, but she turned away quickly, which provided the answer that the water senshi had sought- but not the one she had wanted. Blowing out a short, disappointed breath, she shook her head.  
  
Haruka frowned in concern, and sat down next to Hotaru. "Hotaru- chan...how could you forget?"  
  
Having finally suppressed her embarrassment over the situation, the surrogate daughter looked back up at her parents, and wordlessly held up her left hand, taking a certain mischievous pleasure that no one had noticed before.  
  
Almost immediately, her comrades picked up what their friend was trying to say, and their eyes simultaneously widened. But before they could say anything, Urawa perked up. "They're here," he stated plainly.  
  
Hesitantly, Rei dehenshined as she and the others headed for the entrance to the fair to meet with their friend and leader. Urawa, Ami, Makoto and Minako were next in line, followed by the three Outer Senshi...one of whom was quick to lean down and whisper, "Congratulations though, Hotaru-chan," to her young daughter, earning a blush and a mumbled "Thank you" in response.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
-  
  
Serin glanced around the entryway, a slight frown evident on his face as he ran a hand through his blond hair. A tall man with his hair bundled up under a ballcap and shades on his eyes leaned down and whispered, "Looks like they didn't care for the secretive methods..."  
  
A young woman, her arms wrapped around the waist of her husband, giggled at the comment, and added, "I don't see why not. I had fun riding in an ambulance and on a stretcher without being too hurt or sick to enjoy it. I just wish you guys had turned on the siren and sped around like it was a real emergency, though...I couldn't wait to start my day off!"  
  
The group enjoyed a bit of a laugh at that. "Well, this is a present from all of us, Usa-ko. Happy Birthday," her husband answered, as he gave an eagerly accepted kiss. Nearby, Usa-chan rolled her eyes and made gagging noises as her parents kissed.  
  
"Usa-chan...you should be happy you've got parents who still show their love for each other, even years later," Serin admonished  
  
"If you had to live with them giving each other lovey-dovey looks and giving slobber kisses nearly 24/7, you'd understand why I'm gagging, Uncle Serin...it gets old after a while," the young teenager retorted.  
  
"When you meet your 'special someone', you'll understand, prNGH!"  
  
That last was uttered from Sephiroth as the heel of Serin's foot casually came down hard on the swordsman's toes. Sephiroth barely managed to keep from hopping around on one foot as he glared at the paladin, who studiously ignored the gaze. At that moment, the rest of their troupe arrived, and Usagi waved them over.  
  
"Hey guys, over here!"  
  
Seeing their queen waving(though no one else knew, since she had taken the time to wear her hair in one long ponytail, rather than the usual odangos), the group rushed over, crowding around their queen. In unison, they all spoke: "Happy Birthday, Usagi!"  
  
Laughing in pure merriment, Usagi thanked each of her friends, sharing hugs with each of them occasionally, before Mamoru finally coughed and said, "Well...let's make the most of this day, shall we?"  
  
"Actually..." Haruka piped in, with a short glance at her daughter, "I don't think they really meant to steal thunder from our q...friend's birthday, but I think that Hotaru and Sephiroth have an announcement." This was punctuated with a short, intense glare at the man in question, which clearly indicated that the two were going to have words later.  
  
In response to the sentence, the swordsman and his fiancee both blushed, as Serin, Mamoru, Usagi, and Usa-chan blinked in confusion. Finally, Sephiroth said, "W, we are...we're engaged."  
  
Both Usagi and her daughter immediately squealed with delight, throwing their arms around the senshi of silence and congratulating her simultaneously. The reaction from the men was a little more subdued, but both Serin and Mamoru gave their congratulations to the swordsman. Once the excitement had died down, Usagi asked, "So, when's the big date?"  
  
"We're not sure yet...we've got all the time in the world, so we're just going to take things slow for now...but it's going to be soon, we both know that much," Hotaru answered with a smile.  
  
"Hope that's not the only thing you take slow..." Haruka muttered under her breath, which earned an elbow from her lover.  
  
Finally, the attention was refocused on the birthday girl, and the day of merriment truly began.  
  
Both Serin and Sephiroth quickly got into the swing of things, since this was really their first time enjoying a fair(at least, as far back as they could remember), and before long, they were not only working on winning prizes for their significant others, but also competing against each other, which amused the group immensely.  
  
One particular incident occurred when Serin and Sephiroth were participating in a fishing game, trying to scoop up fish with a net. The whole incident started when Sephiroth, trying to track down one of the rare fish, accidentally bumped into Serin's net during the chase.  
  
"Hey...listen, Seph, this is my side of the pool, now I don't want your net touching my net on my side of the pool," Serin spoke up.  
  
His competitor gave him an odd look, and said, "Wh, what do you mean, 'your side of the pool'? There isn't anyone's side of the pool anywhere, it's fend for yourself."  
  
Serin's eyebrows raised and he emphasized, "I mean it, Seph, don't be touching my net on my side of the pool."  
  
In response, Sephiroth blew out a short breath in disgust as he answered, "I'll touch your net, I'll touch it anywhere in the pool. There, I touched it right now. What do you got to say about that? Take THAT!"  
  
"Oh yeah? I'll touch your net two times back. What do you got to say about THAT?"  
  
"Then I'll touch yours three times back."  
  
"I'll touch yours five times back, and poke you in the gut with it, too."  
  
Sephiroth jerked at the dripping wet sensation that Serin had brought to his midsection and shirt, but gamely responded by taking one of the fish in the tank and whipping it at Serin, catching him full in the face. Stunned, the paladin recovered, and glared at the swordsman, mock-growling, "Okay, that's it!"  
  
Despite the slight difference in height, Serin managed to grab Sephiroth by the collar, and dunk his head in the tank before anyone could respond. Leaving his head in for about five seconds, he bonked him playfully on the head a couple of times, punctuating it with a slap before letting him up...whereupon the soaked swordsman squirted a jet of inhaled water into Serin's face.  
  
At this point, the tent barker ended the ensuing fight by shouting, "Hey, get out of here! I ain't gonna put up with these childish antics all day! Enough, alright?!?"  
  
Still fairly amiable, the two commanders nodded and turned back to the rest of their group, only to find them in hysterics. Those that weren't outright rolling on the ground were doubled over in a laughing fit. Chuckling slightly himself, Serin elbowed his friend and muttered, "Bet we look like idiots right now..."  
  
His comrade shrugged. "Small price to pay for making one so close to your heart laugh," he quipped.  
  
Shortly afterward, the group stopped to buy lunch there, which naturally perked Usagi up further. For the first time in a long while, the queen could truly gorge herself, and not worry about propriety or decorum, which earned the usual disgusted look and smart aleck comment from Rei, and sweatdrops from everyone else. Endymion, for his part, was just glad that he'd been able to squirrel away a lot of money for occasions such as this...though they were rare, when Usagi gorged, she really GORGED. Still, he never faulted her one bit...least of all today. 'After all,' he thought, 'Even if it is for one day, it's nice to have the world revolve around you.' Usagi caught his look as she wolfed down a hotdog and grinned lovingly at him, planting a quick kiss on his cheek. He accepted the kiss, but then stole another deeper one on the lips, whispering, "Happy Birthday, my love," when it ended.  
  
Later, the group stopped by a test your strength booth, which most everyone was eager to try. Usagi, being the birthday girl, tried first. Hefting the hammer up over her head, she let out a shout, bringing the mallet down with a crash onto the sensor...scoring a 34.  
  
Everyone, even Rei, was visibly impressed and congratulated their leader...the senshi moreso, since they remembered the last time she had tried a similar game, and had not only scored a measly 1, but had also gotten clobbered as the bag swung back and smacked her in the face.  
  
Most of the other senshi scored around the 50's, although Hotaru didn't make it past 32. Haruka was matched only by Makoto at 98, which earned them picks of their choice from the vendor's stock. Haruka picked up a stuffed bunny for the queen, while Makoto, though she really wanted the Sailor Jupiter figure they had on display, decided on a Sailor Moon figure instead. Despite Usagi's constant statements of "You don't have to do this, guys," no one thought twice about it.  
  
Initially, the guys hung back, content to watch their significant others have fun, but at that moment, Serin stepped forward, slapping down a 100 C-Yen note. "I'll take a swing."  
  
Grabbing the hammer for himself, he tested its heft in a couple of swings, and then judged his distance from the sensor as he prepared to swing. Once he was finally satisfied, the paladin took a deep breath, jiggled the hammer a couple of times...and then swung. His score ended up being a 97.  
  
Shrugging at the hoots from the ladies, he picked out the Sailor Jupiter figure that his wife wanted, handing it to her with a smile and an apologetic look to his sister, who laughed and shook her head in response. Later, as they headed out to the photo area for the group to take a final memento of their trip, Sephiroth whispered to Serin, "I would have thought..."  
  
Shaking his head slightly, Serin whispered back, "Don't, Sephiroth...leave it as it is. Whether Makoto's stronger than I am, or whether I held back...let's not get caught up in such semantic nonsense. I refuse to get caught up in the age old argument...not when I love my wife, regardless." Shooting a baleful eye at his partner, he added, "Try to keep that in mind as you enter the next stage of your life, okay?"  
  
It took a lot of money for eight copies of the photograph in question to be made, but over all the objections that were raised, Serin paid for the whole bit. All too soon, the sun started to dip below the horizon, which prompted everyone to leave the fair and migrate to Makoto and Serin's house, where they unveiled a wonderfully artistic single layer birthday cake. It was revealed that both Serin and Makoto had worked hard on it, replicating as best they could from memory the old Silver Millenium palace on the cake, which itself was in the shape of a crescent moon. Everyone present naturally gushed over it, even as Serin constantly passed off any praise to his wife. Eventually, hunger overcame reluctance, and the candles were lit as Usagi prepared to make her wish. Thinking hard for a long moment, she glanced around at her friends and family, grinned, and blew out all of the candles...all except one.  
  
Good naturedly, everyone laughed and shrugged it off as the candles were pulled out and Usagi cut her first slice...but Urawa frowned in concern. For a brief moment, it seemed like the Silver Millenium replica was more like Crystal Tokyo...and that it was on fire...  
  
Try as he might, however, nothing else came of that supposed vision. Blinking, the wizard/seer shook his head slowly, earning a curious glance from his wife.  
  
"Urawa? Are you alright?" Ami asked.  
  
"H, hai, Ami...I just...had a passing headache, I think...that's all."  
  
The senshi of water nodded slowly in response, and then kissed her husband on the cheek before grabbing the next slice of cake for them to share. Urawa, for his part, let the last traces of that thought flow out of his mind. He was certain it was just a minor illusion, since it hadn't come with the certainty that usually accompanied his premonitions. But still...why did it bother him so...? 


	5. Chapter 4

Author's Notes: HOLY SPIT! I have never written such a dark story in my life! I feel compelled to warn everyone here...this is where the story gets it's R rating. I hope that I don't disgust or freak people out too much with this, but trust me, all of this is necessary. I sincerely hope you all enjoy. Oh, and if you have suggestions, PLEASE review! I won't bite, trust me!:D  
  
Disclaimer: Takeuchi-sama and Squaresoft own nearly all...I own Serin, and that's it.  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Two days later...  
  
At the northern gates, the guards on duty sat around a small card table, whittling away their shift with a game of poker. Though their 'official' duty was to insure the security of one of the doorways into Crystal Tokyo, in truth it was just a boring and mind-numbing job involving little more than giving people the run down on the do's and dont's of the planet's capital, and in rare cases, escorting those who disobeyed back outside to return to their village.  
  
The older of the guards, wearing a grey tank-top, smirked at his opponent, spreading his cards on the table with a flourish. "Full house," he announced with a slightly rough voice.  
  
The other guard responded by tossing his own cards on the table in disgust. "Fuck!"  
  
The first guard chuckled and began raking in the chips stacked in the center. "Well, it must be beginner's luck."  
  
"I don't understand it, every night you have beginner's luck," his comrade replied with a hint of anger and suspicion.  
  
Conveniently changing the subject, the first guard said, "Ah, I'm gonna call it a night on this...hell, we've only got another half-hour left on our shift. I'm gonna get some coffee, you want some?"  
  
"No, thanks."  
  
The guard chuckled at his comrade's sulky attitude, and ambled off down the hallway. As he plopped in several coins down the slot, a strange, unfelt wind seemd to pick up behind him, followed by an apparent 'portal' opening in the floor, out of which arose a human form.  
  
All of this went unnoticed by the thirsty watchman, who pulled up his novelty poker cup, and grinned, shouting out to his comrade, "Hey...I got four of a kind here!"  
  
"Go to hell," came the reply.  
  
Laughing, the guard muttered, "Must be my lucky night," and slowly sipped at the warm liquid. Suddenly, a sound was heard from behind him, and he whirled, his hand dropping to the sword at his side...upon seeing who it was, though, he relaxed, blowing out a nervous laugh. "Geez, commander, ya scared the living hell out of me." Even with the rest of his form in shadows, no one else in Crystal Tokyo(or, for that matter, ANYWHERE) had his distinctive silver hair. Holding out the cup of coffee, he asked, "Hey commander, you want...wait..." A sudden thought clicked in the soldier's mind, and he asked, "Weren't you supposed to...supposed to...?"  
  
The man's voice trailed off as he saw a flash of light at Sephiroth's side, along with a previously unseen gleam in the swordsman's green eyes. Before he could question further, there was a sharp hiss, a spray of red, and then blackness...  
  
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The 'splutch' sound that emanated from the vending area got the younger guard out of his sulky attitude, enough to make him stand up and approach. "Kobayashi? You okay?"  
  
No answer.  
  
"Kobayashi? Hey, don't be pulling this prank on me, man..." the soldier pleaded.  
  
Still no answer, but there was the sound of movement, which broke through the man's fear, causing anger to bubble up. Rushing in, he snarled, "Goddammit, I told you...!"  
  
Even for his inexperienced eyes, it only took a moment to absorb the scene. Kobayashi's body was separated in two at the waist, a look of surprise and horror on his face. Having never seen such callous violence up close and personal before, the young man promptly gave in to his body's instinct, and threw up. After taking a deep breath of the air permeated wiht the scent of death, he promptly threw up again.  
  
As he stood there, doubled over, his ears never picked up on the hissing sound of a descending blade...  
  
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Standing idly on the porch of her room in the castle, Hotaru smiled wistfully as she regarded the ring that her fiance had given her. No matter how many times she looked at it, it never failed to amaze her...both the simple gesture, and how attentively Sephiroth had paid attention to detail. Everything about it was perfect...which, she thought with a giggle, was more than likely how he wanted it.  
  
Sighing, she hoped that he was alright. He had told her some time ago that he, Serin, and Ami-chan would be heading out to investigate a stronghold that had recently been discovered, and while he repeatedly assured her that there wouldn't be any real danger, she nonetheless worried...what if there were some trap that hadn't been disarmed...or worse yet, disarmed correctly? What if...?  
  
Shaking her head lightly, the senshi of silence chided her own paranoia. She knew Sephiroth's capabilities for taking care of himself. She had, in fact, seen some of his prowess in battle personally as they had taken care of what monsters there were in the outlands, so that people could spread out and start other villages. And furthermore, Serin was with him...who was certainly no slouch in combat or thinking himself. Although neither were quite up to Mercury's level...  
  
Yes, she decided, everyone would be just fine. Besides, it hadn't even been two days, and she was already worrying like a nervous hen. Shaking her head slightly, Hotaru turned to head back in and get some sleep...  
  
When a ferocious explosion rocked the entire city, causing Hotaru to stumble forward and sprawl headlong on the ground. Shaking her head in dazed confusion, she looked back over her shoulder and softly gasped.  
  
The city was on fire. One explosion had engulfed more than a quarter of the city in flames...and worse yet, it was the residential district!  
  
Even as her mind was still reeling from the suddenness of the attack, her body was already springing into motion. Grabbing her henshin stick from her dresser, she instantly transformed, her fear for the families living out there forcing her along faster than ever before. Reaching for her communicator, she began to send out a general all-call when she got the signal herself. Tapping iin for reception, she said, "What's going on?!?"  
  
Uranus' face appeared in the screen, looking as shocked and bewildered as Saturn knew her own must be. "I don't know, Saturn! It just...it was like, one second peaceful, the next, BOOM! Mass panic!"  
  
At that moment, several bolts of lightning repeatedly struck a small area in the residential district, fanning out in multiple arcs, spreading the fire slightly further. Saturn turned back to her communicator, saying, "I'm on my way! Whoever this is...they won't get away with it!"  
  
Uranus nodded grimly, only to be replaced by a pale looking Venus a second later. Judging by the background, she appeared to be in the area of the fire, and Saturn was quick to ask, "Venus! Are you okay? How bad is it?"  
  
It took several long seconds before the senshi of love could find her voice, and she whispered, in a thoroughly shocked tone..."Hotaru...don't come here. Just...don't come." And with that, she blipped out.  
  
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---  
  
Venus numbly shut off her communicator and looked back up at the scene she had just witnessed, almost ready to throw up herself. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes...  
  
Not far away, Sephiroth turned away from the two corpses he had just created, a sinister, barely-visible sneer on his face. Surveying the carnage, his attentiong was suddenly grabbed by a wailing scream.  
  
Following his line of sight, Venus' breath came in a sharp gasp as she saw what he was looking at. "No...!" she whispered  
  
It was a little boy, one who couldn't be more than four years old. He was crying and clutching at a woman's body, obviously his mother. So intent was the boy in his sorrow, that he didn't even notice his mother's murderer approach from behind. Even as Sephiroth stood behind him, his back to Venus, the boy never looked up, almost as if he wanted the foul deed in the swordsman's mind to be completed. In an obliging manner, Sephiroth raised his blade...  
  
That was all it took. Leaping forward from her hiding spot with energy that she didn't even know she HAD, she screamed, "Love-Me CHAIN!" A chain of hearts appeared in her hands, which she threw with practiced skill to whip it around the swordsman's blade. Dropping to the ground, she yanked hard, pulling the weapon away from it's murderous mission, grunting slightly with the exertion.  
  
At the sound of the senshi's voice, the boy turned around and gasped, seeing Sephiroth and Venus locked in a tug-of-war for the Masamune blade he carried. Seeing that she had the boy's attention, she screamed desperately, "GET OUT OF HERE! GO, NOW!!!"  
  
With little hesitation, the child nodded, and ran as fast as his short little legs could carry him. A huge weight lifted from the senshi of love's shoulders as she saw that, and finally released the hold she had on her former comrade's blade. As the Masamune crashed to the ground with a loud 'CLANG', Sephiroth turned with a vicious glare at who had interrupted him. Tensing herself slightly, Venus prepared herself to move should the need arise. Though she was slightly upset that she didn't have a chance to do a speech, there was no use crying over spilt vinegar, as the saying went.  
  
Strangely, though, Sephiroth didn't move. He simply stood there, the fire billowing and raging around the two of them, a calm, sinister smile on his face. It took a moment, but Venus finally spoke, "Sephiroth? W, why!?! Why are you doing this?!?"  
  
Still smiling, the swordsmand in question proceeded to turn and approach, his steps slow, measured, and still heard even over the roar of the flames. Backing up slightly, Venus raised her pointer finger at her target, and said in a quivering voice, "H, hold it! D, don't move! Not another step, Sephiroth!"  
  
Almost as if he were taunting her, the black-clad man took another step.  
  
Gritting her teeth, and praying for Hotaru's forgiveness, Venus shouted, "Crescent Beam Smash!" A yellow beam of light speared outward from her fingertip, striking its intended target dead center...only to be reflected into another building, blasting large chunks of the masonry through nearby walls and roofs.  
  
Surprise etched itself all over the senshi of love's face. Her surprised had barely faded when she heard Sephiroth mutter words under his breath, culminating in the only two she could hear, "Sin Harvest."  
  
Immediately, all of her strength seemed to get ripped right out of her, drawing a soft scream from her mouth as she vainly tried to see what was doing this to her. The pain seemed to go on forever, before it suddenly stopped. Staggering on her feet, she barely caught the blur of an approaching figure...and then a searing pain accompanied her down into blackness.  
  
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It had taken a few moments too long, in Sailor Moon's estimation, for things to get settled.  
  
Those that were left had quickly assembled into teams of three each(with Urawa and Usa-chan taking the place of the already occupied Venus and Mercury) in order to search for the location of where Venus had last transmitted from, hoping that they could find her before she did something too rash. With that decided upon, they immediately split up, covering the residential district as best they could, ready to converge on any point, should one group or another spot their quarry.  
  
Seeing the corpses strewn in the streets sickened the senshi leader's heart. Why did THEY have to be brought into this, she wailed inwardly. It was always innocent's being hurt, just to get at HER...or the Ginzuishou. Why couldn't they just attack her?  
  
Her daughter, clad in her own senshi uniform, bore about the same level of sorrow as her mother, while she scanned the area. It just wasn't fair, she thought. Why did the bad guys always have to stoop to such low levels?!?  
  
Sensing his wife's unease, Endymion wrapped an arm around her waist briefly, giving her some much-needed support, before they continued their search.  
  
In another part of the city, Jupiter's fist clenched with anger at the party responsible. This went beyond all decency; this was murder, pure and simple. She very rarely acted out of pure, blind hatred, but this time, whoever had orchestrated this attack had gone WAY too far. Her gaze was caught by Saturn and Uranus, who glanced around intently, trying to determine the direction that their quarry may have gone. Uranus' anger was no less potent than her comrade's, she was just better at hiding it until it was necessary to unleash it. Saturn definitely looked green around the gills, though...some of the bodies they'd come across were severely mutilated...so far, the young senshi of silence seemed to be holding up after her initial throw up fit, but all the same, Uranus kept a close eye on her...  
  
In yet another section of the district, Mars' face was even more furious than usual. It seemed like the flames themselves were feeding her anger, and it only seemed to grow each time she and her team saw more casualties. Some, Urawa was able to revive with his magic, but it severely drained him after some time, leading Neptune to suggest that they concentrate on finding the culprit, and leave the dead lay. Mars had responded with a terse "Fine" at that, not trusting herself to say any more, and Urawa, though greatly pained by that thought, nodded in agreement, vowing that he would revive everyone he could later...even if it killed him to do so.  
  
Shortly after that declaration, Mars' group rounded a corner and gasped in shock for a moment. Ignoring the suggestion made earlier, Urawa raced forward, closely followed by his other teammates, as he began quickly administering healing magic to Venus' prone form.  
  
"She's going to be alright," he said, as much to reassure himself as the others. "Seems like she took a slice from a sword, but it wasn't deep enough to be a danger...still, good thing we arrived when we did..."  
  
Both Mars and Neptune smiled tightly at that, before the fire senshi quickly pulled up her communicator, letting the others know the news. After informing them of their friends condition, and assuring them that further updates would be forthcoming, Sailor Moon piped up and said, "Alright, then. Mars, you and Neptune take Urawa and Venus back to the palace. She'll be able to heal a bit better there."  
  
"But, your majesty, we can't...!" she began to protest.  
  
"No, Mars. No arguments. Take them back. If you want to head back out and help continue the search, that's fine, but your primary concern is to get Venus back where she can get some proper first aid. Alright?"  
  
Finally, the fire senshi relented, "Oh, alright..."  
  
Just as the transmission was about to be cut off, Uranus' face appeared, wide eyed and frantic...which was enough to get everyone's attention. "We found him! He's over by the sector close to---" before the rest was cut off by static. Moon quickly reappeared in the screen and said, "Mars, hurry and get her back! Go!" before the screen finally blanked out.  
  
It was a long, tense moment, as Mars debated the wisdom of disobeying her orders...but she knew that if they lost Venus because of her selfish decision, the queen would never forgive her. Sighing, she asked, "Urawa, how fast can you run?"  
  
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Uranus leapt backward, her fists clenched as she growled. Whoever this guy was, he was good. It had only been the timely intervention of Jupiter's shove that had kept the wind senshi from getting lambasted by a fireball...unfortunately, her communicator hadn't been that lucky.  
  
Saturn shouted, "Death Ribbon Revolution!" and pointed her glaive at a nearby rooftop, sending hundreds of deadly ribbons to curl, loop around, and destroy the hiding opponent. However, the ribbons only seemed to get within a few feet of their quarry before being turned aside by some invisible force, tearing apart other nearby buildings instead.  
  
Smirking, Uranus shouted, "World Shaking!" and smashed her fist into the ground, sending an orange globe straight at the building that the assailant was hiding on. Just as she had guessed, the building itself wasn't protected from their attacks, and it quickly crumbled from the explosive force, also necessitating their attacker to find another hideout.  
  
Apparently, he had decided that there had been enough hiding, and landed softly in the middle of the street, the flames billowing around him like a cloak. Slowly, the man stood, and turned to look at his opponents, delighting in the looks of shock and fear on their faces.  
  
"S, Sephiroth?!?" Uranus whispered for all of them. For a moment, the shock drowned out all of the anger they had been storing up to this point, prompting, instead of action, questions.  
  
"Seph-kun...wh, why?" Saturn asked plaintively.  
  
His calm, sinister smile in place, Sephiroth remained silent, instead raising his blade to point the tip at the trio, in a sort of challenge. A challenge that Uranus and Jupiter were more than game for.  
  
Drawing her Space Sword with a flash, Uranus charged with an enraged cry, echoed by Jupiter as she followed. Almost contemptuously, Sephiroth blocked, parried, and dodged all of the duo's blows, his grin seeming to grow even wider, as if he were amused by their attempts to strike him. This only seemed to further enrage the wind and lightning senshis, who began striking at him even harder. Finally, as Sephiroth blocked a wild, overhead swing from Uranus' sword, Jupiter landed a rock solid hit in the swordsman's gut, drawing a grunt of pain from the victim.  
  
Saturn, for her part, had stood silently in her original spot, her heart tearing painfully as she watched the fight unfold. Several times, she begged herself to awaken, to find out that this was all just a bad dream...but no matter how tightly she closed her eyes, no matter how hard she pinched herself, the same horrible scene remained.  
  
Panting heavily, Uranus and Jupiter stood in defensive positions, knowing instinctively that if Sephiroth were going to attack, he would now. His smile was now completely gone, replaced by a mask of pure vindictiveness and rage. Raising his sword, he began muttering under his breath, which forced the two senshi to raise their guard even further in preparation. Finally, the black-clad man stopped, looked straight at his opponents, and whispered, "Omnislash"  
  
The next few seconds were a blur of seemingly countless blades slicing and tearing at the skin of the two warrior-princesses. Drawing screams from both of their mouths, they nonetheless vainly tried to defend themselves, only to find that Sephiroth would shift his attack to deliver damage elsewhere. Before the attack was halfway done, they were both bleeding profusely from countless wounds, staggering on their feet, barely conscious. With an almost contemptuous snort, Sephiroth ended their suffering by planting his blade point-first into the ground, forcing eruptions of magma around the two senshi. When it ended, both were motionless, covered in open blade wounds, and severe burns.  
  
At last, the swordsman turned his attention to the only remaining person left. Despite a trembling lower lip, Saturn gripped her Silence Glaive tightly, ready to fight. Sephiroth's steps echoed, almost eerily, over the roar of the flames as he slowly, calmly approached. Before long, his tall, imposing frame stood in front of her, his eyes completely emotionless now. Struggling with herself, Saturn suddenly sobbed and dropped her glaive, clutching at the man she loved, wailing, "WHY? Sephiroth, please, oh God, tell me this is just a dream! Please!!!"  
  
She hadn't expected an answer...but the one she did get chilled her to the bone; "It is a dream...and soon, you will be a part of me...for real."  
  
And then the blackness took her. 


	6. Chapter 5

Authors Notes: Gomen, peoples. I know that this is very, very short, but I just couldn't find any way to drag this out. At any rate, here's my next update. FYI, this takes place in the same timeframe as Chapter Four, so bear that in mind. Hopefully, my next chapter will be longer(heh, it may almost be TOO long:D). Enjoy! Oh, and by the time you read this, I should also have Chapter 3 lengthened a bit for more enjoyable reading.:D  
  
Disclaimer: I own Serin(the concept). I don't own anyone else. I am only borrowing these characters for use in a badly written fanfic to have fun, and make no money. Don't sue.  
  
Chapter Five  
  
He was dreaming again...or at least, he thought he was...that was the only plausible explanation that he could come up with as to why he had awoken in a ramshackle old church. As silently as possible, Sephiroth sat up and quickly surveyed his surroundings, noting with slight surprise that he didn't have his Masamune sword with him. Disregarding that minor inconvenience, the silver haired swordsman began to take in his surroundings, noting that this church, despite its run-down appearance, seemed almost...tranquil. He could feel a rare peace settle into his soul the longer he stayed here...  
  
A soft, melodic humming immediately caught his attention as his gaze snapped to the front of the church. His eyes blinked several times as he confirmed for himself that he must indeed be dreaming.  
  
Kneeling near a hole in the church floor where the ground had broken through was a young woman, in her 20's, Sephiroth estimated. Dressed in an elegant pink dress with a matching vest, she smiled softly, brushing her brown hair back from her eyes. However, it wasn't the girl that caught Sephiroth's attention so much as what she was attending to.  
  
She was carefully nurturing a miniature knoll of flowers.  
  
He had been so stunned by seeing plant growth in such a decrepit place that Sephiroth was unaware he'd approached until the woman looked up, slightly startled. She quickly recovered, however, and gave him a genuine smile. "Oh! You're awake." She quickly began to wipe off her hands and slowly stood up. Sephiroth noticed that although she was a good foot shorter than him, there was something...almost maternal in her nature.  
  
"Where...am I?" Sephiroth finally asked.  
  
The woman smiled and answered, "In my little garden. This was my favorite spot in all Midgar, before..." A dark look passed over her face, until she shook her head. With an almost carefree smile, she gestured to her flowers and conveniently changed the subject, "Beautiful, aren't they? I have to be careful sometimes...weeds like to pop up unexpectedly, even in a tranquil place like this."  
  
Sephiroth found himself nodding in agreement at the girls words....indeed, the flowers seemed to be thriving here, which would normally have been impossible, due to...what? A frown creased his face as he tried to chase the skittering bit of memory that seemed to elude him. Come to think of it, why did it surprise him so much that there was plant life here? It wasn't unheard of...the area around Crystal Tokyo had been restored, thanks to the Ginzuishou's powers, and although Serenity wished to do more, her friends, fearing for their queen's life, had successfully managed to delay her attempts for now. But still...there was something about this...his frown became deeper and more pronounced, until a light touch on his arm brought him back to reality. His gaze locked onto the woman, as he raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Don't push yourself, Sephiroth...you have much to remember about yourself and your past, but..." and at this, her gaze clouded over as she looked down. "Some of it...will be painful. Moreso than what you can remember."  
  
"What do you mean?" Sephiroth demanded. "And how do you know my name?"  
  
Again, the woman smiled, melting the swordsman's initial frustration. "You and I...we had a fateful encounter once." She looked over her miniature garden, adding, "It was an encounter that resulted in pain, heartbreak...and my death."  
  
It was a long moment before Sephiroth could speak. His shock was near absolute, and his skin had paled considerably. "But...how could I have forgotten...and why did I do such a thing?"  
  
Again, that smile. "It wasn't your fault...as was later discovered, you were being manipulated by an alien being...you were deceived into thinking that it was your mother, and that you were the rightful ruler of the planet...once your heart opened that way, it was able to manipulate you easily into doing anything that it wanted...including kiling me." A soft sigh escaped her lips as she continued, "As for why you don't remember...well, in a sense, you do." She turned away and softly giggled. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have done that to you. I didn't mean to get off the subject. There was a very important reason I came to you tonight."  
  
Despite having been put off balance by this revelation that he was a past murderer, Sephiroth quickly refocused on the task at hand. "That being...?"  
  
The woman's green eyes turned to fix him with a serious, solemn gaze. "Crystal Tokyo is under attack. And the senshi are unable to combat the enemy for a very specific reason."  
  
A sense of urgency, bordering on panic, shot through his body. "What? Who?"  
  
Again, a shake of the head. "You must go there yourself to find out. But I will tell you this...remain firm in your love for Hotaru. No matter how dark things may appear, that alone will get you through. She'll need your support more than ever at this moment." With her words finished, the woman turned and began to walk out of the church.  
  
Sephiroth suddenly called out, "Wait!" to which the woman complied, turning to face him with an arched eyebrow of her own. Sephiroth stammered, "Y, you never told me your name."  
  
With a twinkle in her eye, she called back, "When we meet again, I'll tell you. Hold firm to your love, Sephiroth." And with that, she exited the church, exposing a bright light that engulfed everything...  
  
Waking him up. Shaking his head a few times, a deep foreboding filled his being as Sephiroth stood and began to quickly get dressed in his commander's tent. Glancing over at the other two tents nearby, he was relieved to see that Serin and Mercury appeared to be asleep. Mercury's state slightly surprised him...he had been fully expecting to see her light on, perhaps with her poring over the documents and blueprints they'd managed to pull from their tentative forays into NORAD. Silently, he slipped from his tent, his Masamune sword hooked to his belt. Racing over to the landing area, the swordsman was relieved to see that at least two aircars were prepped for immediate liftoff. Nonchalantly, he strolled over to the nearest one, opened the door, and settled himself in. A quick glance at the gauges confirmed that everything was ready to go, and...  
  
"Hold it!"  
  
Muttering a short curse, Sephiroth glanced up to see one of the larger troops on patrol approach the transport with a laser rifle up by his shoulders. Poking his head out, he called out, "Look, there's some trouble that I need to look into, alright? I need to borrow this for a while."  
  
Even in the darkness, Sephiroth could easily imagine the trooper's confused face as the rifle lowered. "Commander?!? What could be so urgent at 2 in the morning?"  
  
"Just call it a hunch. I've got to check on something, hopefully I'll be back soon."  
  
"B, but sir...what am I supposed to tell commander Serin?" the trooper sputtered.  
  
A brief frown crossed the commander's face as he thought about the whole thing, and then just shrugged. "Tell him I hit you," he answered.  
  
Even a blind man could have seen the look of incredulity on the troopers face as Sephiroth slid back into the aircar, sealed the door, powered up, and took off. By the time people were swarming out of their tents in curiousity, Sephiroth had already gunned the motor back for Crystal Tokyo.  
  
He just hoped that he wasn't too late... 


	7. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: Argh! Sorry that updates are taking so long, people, but sometimes the pen just doesn't flow smoothly on the paper(or in this case, the fingers over the keyboard, lol). At any rate, this was one of the harder chapters for me to write, so I hope afterwards, I'll be able to write a bit faster and update a bit sooner...but I doubt it. Something tells me that there's gonna be a lot more soul-searching as this story goes on...but I digress. Enjoy, and as always, REVIEW! Reviews are our friends!:D  
  
Disclaimer: Not Naoko Takeuchi-sama? Check. Not a member in any way, shape or form of Squaresoft of Japan or America? Check. Have no rights whatsoever to the Senshi and/or Sephiroth? Check. Not writing this story for profit? Check. Are there any questions?  
  
Chapter Six  
  
..With a smirk and short 'hmph', the warrior stepped back from the prone body of the senshi of silence. His blade dripped occasionally with the blood of his victims, the sound of the drops lost in the roar of the flames around him.  
  
As he stared at the girl he had just eliminated, an unfamiliar pang coursed through him, causing him to slightly frown. This in itself was unusual...why would he be concerned with any of the ants he disposed of? It wasn't as though they were dead, after all...they would live on as a part of the Planet, as a part of him...  
  
A scream of shock wrenched his attention back to the present, and he glared over the bodies of his most recent opponents at the new arrivals.  
  
Sailor Moon stood with her hands over her mouth in total disbelief at the scene spread out before her; Jupiter, Uranus, and Saturn on the ground with numerous(or in Saturn's case, one) wounds on their bodies, with the last person she would have expected standing over them.  
  
"S, Sephiroth?!? But...but why???" she asked in a voice so soft it was barely audible.  
  
The swordsman's initial response was a mocking sneer as he swung his sword out to the side, stepping to face them full on. Both Chibimoon and Tuxedo Kamen immediately stepped in front of their queen as all three tensed, waiting for the inevitable attack.  
  
Just as he began to speed forward, however, an arrow of fire sent Sephiroth sprawling back with a surprised shout. With seemingly impossible grace and ease, he quickly regained his feet, shooting a surprised glance over at Mars and her comrades, who had finally arrived on the scene. The senshi of fire had a look of pure rage and determination on her face as she prepared another Mars Sniper shot, this one seemingly aimed at the swordsman's heart. A good distance away stood Neptune, who held her own attack ready for discharge at a moment's notice. Had Sephiroth been a normal person, he might have been slightly unnerved at the steely intent to kill that could be seen in the water senshi's eyes.  
  
Urawa cautiously began treating their fallen comrades, constantly flicking his eyes over to where their enemy remained, crouched like a wild animal. Finally, with a soft 'hmph', the swordsman stood. Instantly, everyone tensed, Mars snarling at him, "Don't move, Sephiroth! You either drop that sword, or Kami help me, I'll make you LONG for death, you bastard!"  
  
Nodding slight, Neptune added, "And that's only after she's through with you...because I'll still want a piece of you." Inwardly, she was horrified at the sudden change her attitude had taken, but then again...seeing one's lover and adopted daughter lying on the ground, possibly dead, from someone that they had considered a friend was enough to change a LOT of things...for the worse.  
  
With an almost bored expression, followed by a haunting smile, Sephiroth turned away as if no one were there, and began to walk into the blazing flames behind him. The surprise and confusion the others experienced at this sudden turn of events lasted long enough for the flames to close behind the swordsman as he disappeared.  
  
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Seeing the smoke pluming from Crystal Tokyo sent a spear of ice through Sephiroth's heart, and he silently urged the aircar to move faster, even though it was going beyond it's specified limits already.  
  
Ignoring the crackling requests, and then the demands, for his ID and landing clearance, the commander brought the aircar in for a blind landing, his limbs flying across the cockpit at a near impossible speed, as the transport thudded down hard onto the tarmac at the landing field. Not even bothering with a proper shutdown, Sephiroth popped the door and leapt out, racing across the ground toward the airport's exit. A trolley trundled up to offer a lift, but without even a second glance, the swordsman passed it, the only thing on his mind being, 'Hotaru needs me...she needs me now!'  
  
Arrowing down the streets, his silver hair billowing behind him, the distressed man nimbly dodged any obstacle that popped up in his path, his reflexes operating automatically as everything blurred past him. Even when he got to his goal, Sephiroth was barely aware of being restrained, gently at first, and then with more force as he tried to shove his way through. Finally, he became aware of being forced to the ground, his hands being cuffed behind his back as he struggled to stand.  
  
"What the hell?!?" he asked.  
  
" 'What the hell' indeed, Sephiroth?" came a cool, mature voice that he placed instantly.  
  
"Neptune? Wh, what's going on here?" he demanded as his captors hauled him roughly to his feet. Glancing around for the water senshi, he succeeded in catching a fist square in his mouth, which rocked him back a few steps. Sputtering in surprise, he found himself eye-to-eye with a very enraged Sailor Mars. It would have been an interesting sight to observe...if her rage had not been directed at him.  
  
"You...have...the NERVE...to ask?!?" Mars hissed.  
  
A look of utter confusion settled on Sephiroth's face as his eyes flicked back and forth from Mars to Neptune. "What...what happened?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.  
  
Mars' lip curled after a moment, and she jerked her head at one of the guards. "Get him out of my sight. And make sure that maximum security is on him, 24/7. Keep him in one of the 'sealing' cells, too."  
  
With a short salute, the guard and his comrades began to roughly lead their prisoner away. After going a few steps with them, Sephiroth suddenly turned and asked, "Wait, Hotaru...what happened, where is she?"  
  
Neither Neptune nor Mars so much as looked at him, much less answered his question. At this point, the guards began pulling him back towards the castle without his answer, which succeeded in enraging the swordsman.  
  
"WHERE IS SHE!?!" he roared. The sheer force of emotion in his roar caused several of the guards to stumble back in shock, and even those who didn't quickly pulled their hands away from the prisoner's body. Mars continued to ignore Sephiroth, but Neptune slowly turned and fixed him with a baleful gaze. A long silence stood between the two before she finally deigned to respond.  
  
"You should know...she's in the hospital, thanks to you...and she might not make it."  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
-  
  
About an hour later, another aircar made a more leisurely landing, despite the similarly anxious state of it's two occupants. After receiving clearance to land, the transport began its final approach.  
  
"I just don't understand what the hell possessed Sephiroth to take off like that," Serin stated for perhaps the hundredth time during their return.  
  
Mercury sighed, her hands folded neatly in her lap as she gave the same answer she had the first ninety-nine times. "I don't know either, Serin. But he didn't pick a bad time to leave...we were already done with our tentative surveys, and we'd already found out that there was nothing to fear."  
  
The paladin sighed as they hit the tarmac and began shutting down the systems. "Yeah...but it was just weird, ya know? It wouldn't have been more than six hours, and then we would have been on our way. I'd sure like to know what was so important that he couldn't wait six...more..."  
  
His voice trailed off as he and Mercury noticed two members of the Royal Guard approaching. Quickly, they got out of the vehicle, and met the guardsmen halfway, returning their sharp salutes.  
  
"Commander Serin, Guardian Mercury...Her Majesty Serenity has requested that you report to the palace immediately for a pre-trial hearing," the more grizzled of the two stated in a deadpan, no-nonsense type of voice.  
  
Both of them were stunned at how soon Serenity was calling for them, but Mercury recovered first. "Pre-trial? For who, what?"  
  
"It has to do with Commander Sephiroth, ma'am, and that's all I'm permitted to tell you at the moment. If you'll step this way, we have transportation to the palace ready for you."  
  
A significant, shocked glance was traded between the girl genius, and the Lunar Paladin before they followed their escort and entered the transport that would take them directly to the palace. Along the way, they happened to pass through several areas of town that had been all but razed, with people wearily repairing some buildings, others wandering around in shock, or weeping next to cloth covered forms.  
  
"What in Mercury's name happened here?" the senshi of ice whispered in a horrified tone. She couldn't understand how such an attack could have happened so suddenly, and caused so much damage in such a short amount of time...although it would certainly explain why she had heard nothing on her communicator about an attack.  
  
Beside her, Serin only shook his head, too stunned himself to reply. Mercifully, they were out of the area before long, and arrived in the palace grounds Within short order, they were guided(though they both knew the way by heart) to the throne room, where the biggest surprise of all awaited them there...  
  
"Mako-chan!" Serin whispered, moving to her side before anyone could stop him...not that anyone was about to. The senshi of lightning smiled weakly at her husband from her wheelchair, bandages wound around a quarter of her body that he could see. Kneeling down beside her, Serin grasped her hand, managing to restrain himself from hugging her tightly. "Mako- chan...I..."  
  
Mercury glanced over at the rest of the senshi after giving her own husband a loving smile, her initial fears being compounded...Uranus, Jupiter, and Venus all sported some serious looking injuries...and on top of that, Mars and Neptune had looks of smoldering anger visible in their faces, while Serenity and Endymion sported twin expressions of sadness and exhaustion. After giving Makoto a quick peck on the cheek, Serin finally took his spot and looked over at his sister and her husband. "Could someone kindly tell me what the HELL is going on here?" the paladin asked without preamble.  
  
A long moment passed as each member debated how to break such devastating news. Finally, Uranus sighed, and shot a look at her queen, who reluctantly nodded. Having received permission, the wind senshi turned back to Serin and Mercury, hard as it was due to the brace around her neck  
  
"Sephiroth," she answered. "Sephiroth happened. All that devastation you saw was caused by him...the deaths, too." She continued on, explaining in detail what had happened, with Venus and Endymion chipping in with what they saw, as well.  
  
Serin had heard about people talking about blood draining from their faces due to shock or fear, but he'd always shrugged it off as a stupid myth. 'Guess I know better now,' he thought to himself as the news sunk in.  
  
Mercury too, was so surprised as to suddenly feel as chilled as her element of influence. "No..." she whispered. "Th, there has to be a mistake! Sephiroth wouldn't do such a thing, you guys!"  
  
"And yet, we all saw him," Venus whispered, her voice hardening slightly. "He didn't...he didn't even care about what he was doing, or who he was hurting...it's like he was a bullfrog in a plastic shop."  
  
Unsurprisingly, no one even twitched at Venus' garbled proverb, or bothered to correct her.  
  
Clinging to a thread of hope, Serin said, "Wait...Neptune, your mirror shows the truth, right? What if...?"  
  
His voice trailed off at her slow, firm shake of the head. "That was the first thing I did, when we saw him about to attack the queen, king and princess." She paused for a moment, and the anger that had initially been there seemed to drain out of her, making her seem far older than she was. "It...really was him. It was Sephiroth, and no one else."  
  
Serin slumped in his own seat, an unreadable look on his face. He didn't want to believe it, everyone could see it...heck, NO ONE wanted to believe it. Serin suddenly brightened as he added, "Wait...it couldn't have been Sephiroth. I'm not saying your mirror is lying, Neptune, but something doesn't add up."  
  
His statement was met with confusion from all but one of the senshi, who smiled as she caught onto his train of thought. "That's right," Mercury added helpfully. "We have a guard as witness that at the time Sephiroth was supposedly attacking Crystal Tokyo, he was still at the expedition camp. Even our most advanced and powerful mages," this last was said with a smile at Ryo, "Can't be in two places at once."  
  
A long silence pervaded the room at that statement as each senshi puzzled over that tidbit of info. Finally, Serenity spoke: "Alright...we'll bring the guard here for questioning before deciding anything on Sephiroth's fate. Serin, I leave that matter in your hands. In the meantime Mercury, I need your help with Saturn..."  
  
At the mention of the senshi of silence's name, Mercury frowned. "I knew someone was missing..." Her eyes widened in horror. "She's not...?"  
  
Quickly, the Crystal Tokyo monarch shook her head. "No. But she's...struggling. Usa-chan is with her right now, but I need your help as soon as possible, Mercury."  
  
Nodding in immediate agreement, Mercury stood after the queen, with the others following suit(those who were able to, anyway), signalling the end of the meeting. Serin quickly went over to his wife and gave her another kiss. "Mako-chan, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry..." he began before she hushed him.  
  
"Hey, there's nothing you need to apologize for. I'm the one who was stupid and charged a guy wielding a sword." Her expression turned a bit bitter as she added, "I just hope whoever did this gets what's coming to them." Turning her gaze sharply up at the paladin, she asked, "You really believe that it's not him?"  
  
Serin hesitated at this. Truth be told, he wasn't exactly sure.if Sephiroth was capable of such bloodshed or not...but it certainly didn't seem like him. And to have him hurt Saturn(his Hotaru-chan, of all people)... "I...don't know," he finally answered. "Maybe I'll have to ask him myself," he added with a weak shrug.  
  
Jupiter smiled in response, and then sighed. "Well, guess I'd better head back to the medical wing. The doctors almost told me that I couldn't even come to this meeting, but between Haruka threatening them with her crutches, and me weilding a cane like a madman, we got an exception," she finished with a grin and a laugh.  
  
Her husband laughed good-naturedly with her for a moment, and then asked, "Are you gonna be alright? Do you want me to walk with you, hon?"  
  
"No, it's okay. I'll be fine. Besides, you've got a lot to do, so I won't keep you from it any longer."  
  
Serin gave his wife a loving kiss then, and whispered in a sorrowful tone, "Guess I won't be enjoying any culinary treats for a while, huh?" A sharp elbow suddenly planted itself in his gut, prompting an 'Oof!' out of him as Jupiter giggled and pulled away.  
  
"Don't worry...you know I'll make it up to you," she answered with a wink.  
  
"I look forward to it."  
  
Blowing a soft kiss toward the man she loved, Jupiter then headed down the hallway as Serin watched her until she was out of sight, before heading to his own tasks...  
  
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It was dark. Dark, cold, and lonely. Loneliness she thought she would never have to deal with again.  
  
'You are alone, Hotaru...he only used you...just as everyone through the millenia has...'  
  
Hotaru shook her head, trying to blot out the sensations that tore at her mind and sanity; the image of Sephiroth, with pure love, and more than a hint of nervousness in his eyes, proposing. Another image, this time of him with a sneer of contempt as he effortlessly cut down Haruka-papa and Makoto-san before looking at her with eyes that were empty of anything save for contempt and murder. Those eyes continued to beat down her mental defenses, making it harder and harder to control her power...the power that slept deep within her...the power she knew she could never let free...  
  
'But why not, Hotaru? You have been used, time and time again...always for your power, as well. Why not make a choice on your own this time?'  
  
"B, because...I still..." she whispered feebly, trying to sound more confident than she felt.  
  
'Still what, Hotaru? Still love him? Even after what he has done to you? Don't you remember the blade biting into your flesh? The pain of that betrayal? Do you not remember seeing him cut down your parent and one of your friends? Could you truly love a person like that?'  
  
"I...I...I can't...I won't...let you free..." she stated firmly in between gasps.  
  
The voice chuckled. 'So you say now, Hotaru. But I can wait...you'll realize the truth of what I'm saying soon enough. After all, how can you expect to fight yourself, hm?'  
  
And in the hospital bed of the intensive care unit at the Crystal Palace, Hotaru squirmed, her face tightening for a brief moment in severe concentration and pain before relaxing, a soft groan escaping her lips. 


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: No own. No profit. Any questions?  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
Sephiroth glanced about his room with a slightly detached state of mind as he was forcibly rotated in the stasis field he was confined to. He had been running through scenarios in his mind for the last hour or two, trying to think of a way to escape, but they all required him to be free...something the swordsman didn't think anyone was going to be willing to do anytime soon.  
  
Sighing, he leaned his head back as he began another rotation. Kami knew why these stasis fields made their occupants go through this, but he had endured it for the last hour, and he would endure it for as long as it took...  
  
For what? That little question halted his analytical thinking momentarily. Sephiroth had no doubt in his mind that he was innocent of these preposterous charges...whoever else the senshi had seen attacking Crystal Tokyo, it certainly hadn't been him. But was there enough evidence to swing things in his favor?  
  
A loud clang, and the squeal of long-ignored hinges caught his attention, and the swordsman attempted to turn his head as far as he could towards his cell door to see his visitor. Throwing a sardonic, yet bitter, grin at the man, he spoke first: "Serin...decided to see the bird in his cage?"  
  
Serin stepped into the cell fully, closing the door behind him, but not locking it...the stasis field would prevent Sephiroth from breaking free in the first place, but even if that hadn't been part of the equation, he doubted his friend would try to escape without at least making good on TRYING to prove his innocence.  
  
"Actually, I came to see how you're holding up. So here I am," the paladin replied neutrally.  
  
A snort and chuckle was Serin's initial answer before Sephiroth spoke. "Oh, just dandy. I get the reception no one would wish on their worst enemy, become informed that my fiancee has not only been attacked by me, but probably won't make it, and then get stuck in a stasis cell with a consistently changing view that makes everyone who sits in it get bored out of their skull. About the only good thing I can say about this is that it's given me a lot of time to think."  
  
Cocking his head and blinking, Serin asked curiously, "About what?"  
  
A shrug of the shoulders was followed by a twitch at one corner of the swordsman's mouth. "About finding the bastard who did this. Proving my innocence. All the easy stuff. And then comes the hard part: figuring out how the hell I'm gonna get out of this cell to do so."  
  
A long moment of silence fell between the two co-commanders, as Sephiroth returned to his thinking, and Serin tried to find the proper words in reply. Finally, the paladin said, "Listen, Seph...I know you're innocent. I've already talked to Serenity about my concerns, and Mercury's backed me up. We're gonna get the guard who tried to stop you at the camp back to the palace, and he'll testify for you. This whole charge of you attacking the city will be shown for what it really is...ridiculous."  
  
Sephiroth turned to look at his friend with a slight measure of surprise, but also a deal of relief and gratitude. "Arigatou, Serin. The sooner we can get this cleaned up, the better..." A slight, heavy pause punctuated the swordsman's next question. "Have...you heard anything more about Hotaru?"  
  
Softly biting his lip, Serin looked down as he answered, "No...but she's still fighting. Serenity asked Mercury to go help, since she's the most knowledgeable doctor around, but...I still haven't heard anything more."  
  
Sighing heavily, the swordsman nodded. "About what I expected...but I have a feeling that this isn't going to be a battle that Mercury or any doctor can win..."  
  
Sharply, the paladin looked up at his friend. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Hotaru and I established a telepathic link when I first helped rid her of the 'dark cancer' that existed in her body. Without even trying to, we can...tell what's going on with the other, for lack of a better explanation." Sephiroth sighed as he added, "I can tell that...something's going on with Hotaru-chan right now...it's not a normal sickness...but damned if I can figure out exactly what is going on..."  
  
Pursing his lips, Serin nodded. "I'll go talk to Mercury and see what she can come up with. At least we know there's more to this than meets the eye." Sighing, he headed for the door, but before exiting, he shot a strained smile at his friend. "Don't worry, Sephiroth. We'll clear this up."  
  
A small smile was the only reply given as Serin shut the door and locked it, leaving Sephiroth alone with his thoughts once more. As he glanced around his room, his eyelids suddenly grew heavy. A part of his mind was confused as to his suddenly tired state, and gave a brief, futile struggle before he finally succumbed to his body's desires...  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
--  
  
Entering his private office with his mind ajumble, Serin wearily collapsed into his chair with a sigh. Taking only a second to regather his thoughts, the paladin then began his duties.  
  
First, he quickly established communications with the expeditionary camp around the NORAD ruins and raised the officer in charge there.  
  
"Commander Serin! We hadn't expected to hear from you for some time yet, sir."  
  
"Things have changed, soldier. I need you to locate..."  
  
A slender finger reached out in front of his face and deftly stabbed the disconnect button. Shocked, and more than a bit angry, Serin glared up at the intruder, his hand reaching for his Crystal Sword. "Who are you?" he demanded.  
  
The woman who had entered his office was definitely beautiful, was one of the first thoughts that entered his mind. Married man or not, he knew beauty when he saw it. Her long green hair and ruby red eyes perfectly accentuated her tanned skin. He was slightly surprised to note that this woman was also dressed in a sailor fuku, though the skirt, bow and trim were done in black. In her right hand, carried almost languidly, was a staff which, as he gave it a more thorough examination, resembled a giant key, with two deep red orbs at it's tip.  
  
All of this occured in the space of a few seconds, yet it was a few more before the woman spoke, as if she were debating whether to answer Serin or not. Finally, she did: "The man you seek is already dead, Serin."  
  
Blinking at the deadpan delivery of this news, the commander shook his head. "Dead...? But..." Glancing up sharply at her, he demanded, "Did you kill him?"  
  
A slow, short shake of the head was his answer, to which she added, "No. It was the man you seek who was responsible for it."  
  
Serin's eyes widened, and he slowly started to rise. "So I was right...Sephiroth is innocent..." His voice trailed off as the woman raised a hand and again shook her head.  
  
"Not true. In a sense, both you and Neptune are correct in your assessment of who attacked Crystal Tokyo and your...comrades." The paladin wasn't sure, but he could have sworn that at that moment, her voice broke slightly before recovering to it's deadpan tone.  
  
Blinking again, Serin asked, "Wait a minute...how the hell can Neptune and I both be right? Sephiroth can't be two different people, AND in two different places at once."  
  
The woman remained impassive, silent, as Serin studied her. Finally, he shook his head. "Great...you're not going to tell me anything more, are you?"  
  
"I cannot tell you any more. The answers that remain will have to be found by your own power."  
  
Sighing, Serin nodded. "Alright, fine, but...how do you know so much? Who are you, anyway?"  
  
A slight twitch at the corner of the woman's mouth appeared as she paused once more before finally answering. "You haven't heard of me before, but I am Sailor Pluto. And that is all I will say on this matter. You have work to do, after all."  
  
"Not really...since the guy I'm looking for is dead, all I have to..."  
  
"You misunderstand...that wasn't exactly what I was referring to." Without a single backward glance, she turned and stepped through the now- open door, exiting the room.  
  
Serin leapt to his feet and poked his head out, Pluto's name on his lips...but then he stopped, his mind boggling. The corridor by his office stretched for a good quarter mile in both directions, and yet, he couldn't see his visitor anywhere.  
  
Placing a hand to his forehead in exasperation, Serin muttered, "This has not been a good day..."  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
He was somewhere else again...  
  
Sephiroth had no idea how he'd gotten out of his cell, or where he was that had such lush greenery, but he knew that it was somewhere quite far from Crystal Tokyo. Glancing down at his hands, he was surprised to see that his treasured Masamune was with him as well. With long, purposeful strides that made him feel like he was gliding across the ground, the swordsman singlemindedly trudged through the dense forest he found himself in, nimbly avoiding the plant life and easily overpowering the few monsters within that dared to approach him. Twice he tried to stop, but his body refused to obey him, instead pushing him ever onward toward some goal...  
  
Finally, he reached what he somehow KNEW to be his goal...and at the same time, knew that what he was experiencing was a dream. Stetched out in front of him as far as his eyes could see was an elaborate city, beautiful in it's design, despite the decay and erosion that had worn it into ruins. Dimly, he wondered what civilization had lived in such greatness.  
  
'Cetra' was the answer dimly whispered back to him...  
  
Cetra...the very mention of that word, no, that race, sent shivers down his spine. But why? He could feel himself on the verge of remembering something...something important...  
  
However, his body gave him no time for sightseeing, instead heading for the building directly in front of him. Once there, a flash of light brought him the next image. One where he was looking down on two people facing each other, one holding a sword that should have been far too big for his hands...and the other(a woman, he somehow knew), was in a kneeling posture, praying. The sword bearer backed up, muttering something Sephiroth couldn't quite catch.  
  
A flash of anger surged through the swordsman's mind and he simply stepped off of the ledge he perched on, arrowing down through the air, his blade poised in front of him for a downward thrust...  
  
This in itself was horrifying to Sephiroth, but as he got closer, he drew in a sharp breath as he recognized his target. He attempted to scream, to divert the blade from it's mortal deed, but despite all his efforts, he was only a spectator.  
  
Mercifully, the scene blanked out just before the tip of his Masamune bit into the woman's flesh. Drained and horrified at what he had seen(and, by extension, done), Sephiroth collapsed to his knees and wept bitterly.  
  
He wasn't sure how long he knelt there, shedding tears of anguish, but he immediately became aware of two slender, smooth arms embracing him around his shoulders. Not knowing who it was, nor even caring, he clung to his comforter like a frightened child. As his tears flowed, he heard a soft voice comforting him, murmuring softly, "It's alright, Sephiroth...it wasn't your fault...you don't need to cry..."  
  
It seemingly took forever, but at long last his eyes appeared to have shed all the tears they could. Shuddering one final time, the repentant warrior looked up at his comforter and blinked several times in shock. "You..."  
  
Silencing him with a finger to his lips, the woman he'd met in his previous dream, and had seemingly killed in his most recent one, smiled softly and shook her head. "No words are needed, Sephiroth. This was once a part of who you were...but it was not your fault. You need feel no remorse for being a puppet."  
  
Her finger dropped from his lips, as her smile likewise disappeared. Sephiroth slowly nodded, and decided to change the subject. "Who are you?"  
  
Another soft smile accompanied her answer. "My name is Aeris. It's a pleasure to meet you on friendlier terms."  
  
The warrior nodded slightly, a twitch of his lips indicating an almost-smile. "Likewise." He hesitated before adding, "What..."  
  
"Was the reason for that memory?" Aeris finished with a sad, comforting smile. In response to his nod, she sighed. "I really couldn't say. It was...what your mind chose to remember. It could mean that HE is remembering it, as well..." At that moment, she shuddered in fright...not for herself though, Sephiroth could see that.  
  
"'He'? Who is 'he'?"  
  
Again, a dark look passed over the young woman's face, but she again shook her head. "If I were to tell you...you would not believe me."  
  
Sepiroth frowned deeply at Aeris just then. "Look, my fiancee is injured due to whatever's going on, and this...'person' you're covering for is responsible..."  
  
"She's not as injured as they think. Her physical wounds have healed by now," she interjected.  
  
That stopped Sephiroth short. However, then he remembered what their shared link had told him, and he peered suspisciously at Aeris. "Then..."  
  
"You must go to her...you will know what to do if you go to her. She requires your strength now more than ever...you have to hurry," she cut in once more. With those words spoken, she suddenly began to fade away, a serene, loving smile on her face the whole time.  
  
"H, hey...wait!" he shouted...  
  
And then he awoke.  
  
His mind in a jumble, the warrior tried to piece together where he was now, and whether he was dreaming again or not. A light pinch accomplished the second objective, which left him the unenviable task of the first...when he suddenly realized why he was confused.  
  
He was still in his cell in the Crystal Palace's dungeon...but instead was out of the stasis cell, face first on the ground. Hopping lightly to his feet, Sephiroth glanced quietly around the room, noting with further surprise that the cell door was open as well.  
  
'What the hell....?' he thought as he silently approached the portal. Poking his head cautiously through the opening, the swordsman glanced left, right, then left again, confirming that the hallway was empty. Pursing his lips for a moment in thought, the warrior debated on the merits of leaving his cell under these circumstances...even remembering Aeris' words didn't seem to help make up his mind...  
  
But when he felt a sudden dark, almost sickening presence loom through his link with Hotaru-chan...  
  
Panting lightly from the sensation, he wiped his forehead gently, his mind made up in an instant. It was obvious to Sephiroth that whatever Hotaru was suffering from was definitely NOT a sickness, but something far worse.  
  
And he had a horrid feeling that if he didn't get to his beloved's side soon, the whole world was going to pay the price. 


	9. Chapter 8

Authors Notes: Okay, this is BAD! I'm VERY sorry about so much time being taken, people, and I apologize again for how short this chapter is. However, I was sick and tired of seeing so many people taking the time to update their fanfics, while mine sat and got moldy.:D Anyway, this should tide over my few remaining loyal readers until I can get something more substantial out. Don't be surprised though, if it takes me a while to get new chapters out for a bit, though.:) New thanks and honorable mentions go to: Aika1, Kyosnekozukigirl, Angelkitty1. Thank you!:D  
  
Addendum: This chapter has now been edited(more like, added onto) for more fun reading. The section that is marked with pound signs (#) is a transcript that I borrowed from a fanfic that I read by Sean Gaffney, titled "Made of Stone". If you EVER have the chance, I suggest you read it...it's THAT good and MORE. Now I just have to hope he didn't mind my using it...  
  
And a very hearty thanks goes to Lord Strife for his review! Thanks a lot, buddy! Hope I live up to your expectations as you live up to mine.;)  
  
Disclaimer: We Michigan boys like to play fair. That's why I'm not writing this fanfic for profit, or trying to act as though I own all the characters in it. That's all there is to it.  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
Mercury was scanning Hotaru's prone body, overseen by Serenity, Usa- chan and an anxious Neptune, when Serin burst in. "We've got a lead," he announced without preamble.  
  
The others shot him a look, but Mercury returned to her computer within a few moments, though Serin knew from past experience that she was still listening intently.  
  
"What do you mean, Serin?" his sister asked with an arched eyebrow. The paladin steepled his fingers in front of his chin and answered, "Apparently, this isn't entirely Sephiroth's fault. A source told me, in a roundabout way, that both Neptune and I are correct in our assesments of the situation."  
  
Everyone's eyes widened at that, and even Mercury looked up from her computer a moment in surprise. Neptune was the first to recover, questioning, "And...who was this 'source'?"  
  
Serin pursed his lips as he looked at all of them. "Sailor Pluto. Why? Is she not reliable or something?"  
  
The reaction was slightly puzzling to Serin at that point. Each of the senshi slowly glanced at the others, an unreadable look passing between them. When attention returned to him, Serenity asked, "Serin...what exactly did she tell you?"  
  
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'There...should be able to fool anyone into thinking that he's sleeping.'  
  
Glancing around the hall once more, he quickly gave a short pat to the unconscious soldier's shoulder and slipped into the confiscation room. After scanning the room and making certain that no cameras or guards were inside, Sephiroth then went to task on finding his Masamune.  
  
It hadn't been at the top of his list, but when he found himself suddenly having to pass by, his urgent pace had suddenly slowed as he pursed his lips, sighed, and decided that it wouldn't hurt to at least take a look. Disabling the guard was a trivial matter, his silver hair notwithstanding. He'd wake up in a few hours with a headache, but nothing more serious.  
  
Fortunately, he managed to turn up his weapon in short order, which was all the time he had been willing to give himself anyway. Picking up the sword and giving it a short test swing, the former commander sheathed it and stepped back out into the hallway and continued on his way, a more urgent step to his pace than before.  
  
As he approached the hospital wing, a number of approaching voices drifted his way. Frowning, he paused a moment...and then smoothly slipped into the shadows of the corridor when he placed them, only one eye peeking from around the corner as the owners of those voices appeared.  
  
"...I just don't get it. How can both you and I be right, Neptune?" Serin was saying.  
  
The water senshi sighed and shrugged. "To be honest, I don't know. It's possible that Sephiroth has some sort of 'split personality' or something. Either way..." she sighed, "I...probably shouldn't have been so harsh with him. I just..." Tears threatened to spill out of her eyes.  
  
At that moment, the queen laid a hand on Neptune's shoulder, smiling comfortingly. "It's okay...we may be senshi...well, some of us," she amended with a grin at Serin, "but we aren't immune to feeling pain and instinctively lashing out at what we think caused it. Maybe we'd all feel better if we spoke with Sephiroth now. Hopefully...hopefully we can all get some answers"  
  
Mercury nodded at that point. "If it would make everyone feel better, I can rig up a lie detector with my computer. I don't see any reason why he would lie, but just to erase doubt..."  
  
Serenity nodded. "I don't think he'll object, either. I could tell that he wanted to be cleared of this. But it does beg the question..."  
  
Finally, their voices faded as they turned a distant corner, leaving Sephiroth to stare at the direction they'd gone. Maybe he should have stayed in his cell...  
  
A quick shake of his head discarded that idea. He didn't care what everyone thought of him for breaking free(although, he had to admit, he had no idea HOW it had been done...), but his priority right now was seeing to his fiancee...  
  
Turning sharply on his heels, the commander raced up the corridor the last fifteen or so meters, discovering a door that was guarded by two soldiers. Stretching out his mind, Sephiroth needed only a brief touch to assure himself that that was indeed Hotaru's room...the darkness from inside was sickeningly strong there, almost overwhelmingly so.  
  
That just left the manner of the guards to deal with. A quick search of his pockets revealed little that he could use...breath mints, the box that had until recently held the engagement ring he'd given Hotaru, some small change...  
  
A thought then occured to him, and before he could discount it, the former commander pulled out one of the larger coins in his pocket, gauged the distance, and threw it as hard and fast as he could.  
  
Not too far away, a loud 'TINK!' sounded throughout the corridor. Both guards tensed and looked in that direction, with one of them actually taking a few steps.  
  
That was all the time he needed. Racing forward unnaturally fast(and yet still silently), Sephiroth slammed the flat of his hand against the first guard's throat, sending him down gasping for air. The sudden scuffle caused his companion to whirl as he drew his sword, though he nearly dropped it in fright as he saw who his opponent was, which caused Sephiroth to loose a mental sigh. Two jabs to the gut later, the second guard also dropped to the ground. After making sure both were suitably unconscious, he quickly arranged them to make it appear as though both had gone to sleep. He had just finished up when he heard a cool, confident voice state, "Don't move."  
  
The swordsman's body stiffened for a brief second before he forced himself to relax, letting a very powerful mental curse be directed at himself. He'd been so caught up in getting the guards neutralized that he'd never thought about someone else being inside the room. Knowing he didn't have a lot of time whether she called for help, Sephiroth decided to press his case. "Look Usa-chan, I'm here to see that Hotaru..."  
  
"Dies? Is that what you were about to say, you bastard?" the voice behind him snarled. "She very well may, thanks to you. She trusted you, gave you her life and love, and this is how you repay her, huh? And to think...I was looking forward to your wedding...you..."  
  
"Usa-chan, that is NOT what happened!" he hissed furiously. "Look at me, alright? Look at me, and think about the times you saw Hotaru and me together. Did I ever act as though I had an ulterior motive? Did I act suspicious in any way in front of her...or the rest of you? I'll answer for you, I did NOT! I was as open as one could be with all of you. I don't know who decided to hurt Hotaru, but I promise you on my soul that it wasn't me."  
  
A long pause ensued after that comment, until finally he heard footsteps backing into the room. "Leave the sword outside. I still don't trust you," the senshi said.  
  
Nodding in agreement, Sephiroth slipped off his weapon, scabbard and all, leaning it against the wall before following Usa-chan inside. One look at the figure lying on the bed broke his heart, and he immediately went to her side, ignoring his watcher's glare. Clasping one of Hotaru's hands in both of his, the proud, normally cool swordsman cried bitterly at what he saw.  
  
Her face was twisted in obvious anguish which showed up quite clearly even through the oxygen mask that she wore. Several monitors relayed her vital signs to any observers, and from what little he knew, Hotaru's signs were very erratic...dangerously so.  
  
Giving his love a kiss as best as he could through the maze of wires and tubes, Sephiroth stood and pulled off one of his gloves, placing the hand on Hotaru's forehead. Shooting a glance at Usa-chan, he said, "Don't let anyone stop me until I'm done. I'm sure everyone's noticed by now, but...she's been repossessed by something dark and evil."  
  
The young woman's sudden blinking fit and horrified glance at her friend told Sephiroth that she did not know this, which surprised him, to be honest. Sighing, he added, "Anyway, she is. I'm going into her mind to see what I can do. I want you to promise me that you won't let anyone interrupt me...if I'm forcibly pulled out of this...well, let's just say that things will not be enjoyable."  
  
Usa-chan looked up at the taller man, and nodded. "But...what are you going to do?" she asked.  
  
"...I don't know. But I can't stand by and do nothing. If the woman I love is in pain...then I'll do my damndest to share in that pain, if not bear the brunt of it. I won't abandon her."  
  
And with that, he gave her a small smile with a jaunty salute before his eyes closed and he was in the mind of the second most powerful senshi...the woman he loved.  
  
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"Damn!" Serin cursed as the guard left to relay his orders. "Why did he leave? I told him he wasn't going to be killed for this, stupid fool!"  
  
Mercury shook her head in amazement, although it was more at the state of the room than the paladin's words. "I'm more interested in the 'how' than the 'why', myself...the stasis field is supposed to be impregnable to manipulation from inside...and then there's the door. If I didn't know better, I'd almost swear he had help."  
  
Serin ran a hand through his hair and blew out a short sigh. "I know this isn't what you mean, Mercury, but I didn't do anything of that sort when I was down here. Still, I can ask the guards if there were any other visitors besides me...I doubt we'll find anything, though."  
  
Serenity nodded. "Our priority right now is finding him, anyway. While I believe he may be innocent, we can't risk having people panic. Neptune, get all available and healthy senshi ready, and scour the palace grounds. Don't use your communicator, either; I'd prefer that our injured get the rest they need. If you mention this over the communicator, one or the other may find out and demand to come along."  
  
The water senshi nodded and exited the cell to relay the orders.  
  
Turning to her brother, she continued, " Serin, I'm loath to do this, but we'll need to reassign your men to patrols in the city. Try to place them as efficiently as possible, and have them patrol everywhere, but they are NOT permitted to enter anyone's house without just cause. Hopefully, that will assuage any fears that may arise from the sudden troop presence."  
  
"Right. I'll make sure everyone understands that last before anything else. Maybe I can put another safeguard in place just to be on the cautious side," he commented as he too, left the area.  
  
Serenity nodded, and then finally turned to Mercury. "Mercury, stay here until our investigation team arrives, and then turn over what data you've acquired and join the others in the search. Alright?"  
  
The senshi genius nodded mutely, her gaze never leaving the monitor as her fingers flew over the keyboard.  
  
Sighing, the queen began to return to her chambers when a sudden insistent beeping from Mercury's computer piqued her interest. Turning, she asked, "Something happen?"  
  
Finally tearing her gaze from the computer, she whispered in equal parts surprise and horror, "A massive surge of negative energy is building up...and it's coming from Hotaru's room!"  
  
An icy vise settled around Serenity's heart at those words. She remembered all too well Hotaru's constant battles with the darkness that lurked inside of her. She and the others had hoped that due to Sephiroth's efforts, it had been forever destroyed, but it would appear that Sephiroth's supposed 'betrayal' was all that was needed to give it a resurgence. And with the swordsman missing, what methods were left were iffy, at best. While Serenity wondered how it could have escaped notice until now, action was more important. Calling over her shoulder she said, "Get the others on the communicator, and have them meet me at Hotaru's room!"  
  
She barely heard her friend's acknowledgement as she ran, hoping against hope that they wouldn't be too late. A moment later, a sudden rumble from the ground seemed to answer that yes, they would be.  
  
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'He's abandoned you...just like all the others. It will only be a matter of time...why fight it? Accept what I can bring...'  
  
"N, no...no, this...this isn't right..."  
  
'And having them abandon you to such a cruel fate is? Where are your friends when you need them? Where is the one who supposedly LOVED you?'  
  
To that, the woman known as Hotaru Tomoe had no reply. She could still feel the cold sting as the man she loved swung his blade down, the steel biting into her flesh...  
  
A shake of her head dismissed those thoughts, but her confidence was shaky, to say the least. The shield she had put up flickered wildly as the darkness surrounding her probed and tested it, all the while assaulting her mind with it's taunts.  
  
'There is no point in resisting...soon, you will be mine, as you were always meant to be. Then, you will be truly free...free from the pain of betrayal...free from such petty ideals...'  
  
"She will NOT be yours! She is her own person, you piece of puke!" a familiar, enraged voice called out.  
  
Hotaru whirled at the shout, and reflexively stepped back as she saw the person she last expected to see. "S, Seph..."  
  
The former commander stepped forward, gazing angrily at the darkness surrounding his love, before his eyes settled on her own. And for the second time in as many days, Hotaru was struck by what she saw.  
  
His eyes were filled with anger, yes...but also a great deal of pain at what she had had to go through. And try as she might, Hotaru couldn't find a hint of the cold malevolentness that had been in the gaze of the one who struck her down.  
  
This, of course, didn't stop her from backing away when he tried to approach. Instantly, he realized his mistake and stopped, his hand outstretched helplessly. "H, Hotaru-chan...please..."  
  
"Just...don't come near me...please, Sephiroth..." she demanded, albeit in a whisper.  
  
The use of his full name, rather than the shortened one she normally used, hurt him more than the actual demand itself, but he acceded to her wishes, staying where he was. "Hotaru-chan...you have to believe me, it wasn't me who...who hurt you," he said, stumbling over his words. "In the two years that we were together...did I ever raise my hand in anger at you? Or even raise my voice? You know the answer, Hotaru-chan."  
  
'He lies, little senshi...all of them have lied to you. Could anyone emulate his appearance? Or his mastery of the sword? He only seeks to finish what he was unable to before...best to accept the power I can give you, and destroy him first.'  
  
Sephiroth glared at the darkness. "Ex-CUSE me, I'm having a conversation with my fiancee here!" Turning his gaze back to his love, he continued, "Hotaru...you know as well as I do that I would sooner kill myself than hurt you in any way. I love you, Hotaru Tomoe...more than I could ever love anyone else. When you're with me, I feel...at peace, moreso than I ever remember. Please...if you believe nothing else, believe that."  
  
A long moment of silence answered him before the senshi spoke. "Then, how...how was it that that person was able to look like you...? And...how did you get here?"  
  
A regretful shake of the head accompanied his answer: "I don't know, Hotaru-chan...but I swear to you, I WILL find answers...and whoever this person is, he will pay for hurting you. And as for the second part..." he grinned, "Nothing will keep me from the woman I love when she's in trouble or pain. This is MY chance to play the knight in shining armor routine, after all."  
  
A small smile appeared on his fiancee's face at that comment, along with a low chuckle. Hesitantly, she stood, whispering, "It's...really you?"  
  
"I swear it, love. I..." His eyes suddenly widened, and he dashed forward, panic on his face. This, of course, didn't help Hotaru's state of mind, and she screamed just as Sephiroth reached her...but instead of the pain she had expected, there was a sudden rush of movement, and then a grunt from Sephiroth...followed by the darkness' triumphant shout.  
  
'WAHAHAHAHA!!! This is even better! With the power of this host, I can finally bring about the silence for good! I...wait...what is this?!?'  
  
Sephiroth growled as the darkness was absorbed into his body, focusing his mind to utilize all the magic he had available...gently pushing Hotaru away, he dropped to his knees, which allowed the senshi of silence to see and piece together what had happened.  
  
Her mental barrier had collapsed behind her, apparently when she became so distracted with Sephiroth's appearance. Seeing its opportunity, the darkness had then attempted to strike from behind...which lead to this...  
  
"NO!" she wailed, rushing to his side. Trembling, the swordsman held up a hand, warning her to keep back.  
  
"I can...handle it...I won't...forgive...myself if...you EEEAAARRRGGGHHH!!!" he screamed as his head was clasped firmly in his hands. Around them, the darkness' voice spoke once more.  
  
'Such resistance...and such power. Yet I now see the darkness in your soul, and draw strength from it. Strange...it is distant...but no matter. You are mine, little man; accept your fate!'  
  
Hotaru was by her love's side in another instant, flexing her fingers as she prepared to help him in any way possible...and then a thought occurred to her. Something that someone (Serenity, Queen Serenity) had told her once;  
  
#Hotaru,# she had said. #You are the senshi of death and destruction. It is a terrible burden to give to someone. Yet it is perfect for you. Every power has its opposite. And not only do you possess within you the power to destroy worlds, to cloak the earth in darkness, so too do you have the power to heal, to bathe the world in light. Never forget that, for one day, it will be your salvation...#  
  
Blinking, she nodded, giving silent thanks to the matriarch of the Silver Millenium, and began working at the darkness, manipulating it as she gathered more and more of her powers together.  
  
'Wh, what are you...? NO! You'll kill him if you do this!' the darkness screamed in panic.  
  
Hotaru smirked wickedly as she finished her preparations. "Not likely," she replied, and then manipulated the darkness, converting it. The darkness howled in pain as from within, a sort of dark light shone. The howl faded as the light grew then, and as the main body still in Hotaru's mind was fully converted, so too was the darkness that had entered Sephiroth's body, easing his pain. Finally, exhausted, Hotaru slumped down, allowing her barriers to drop as she tightly gripped her love.  
  
It took only a few moments for Sephiroth's eyes to open, and when he saw the most beautiful sight in the world in front of him, he whispered, "We won?"  
  
Her eyes shimmering, Hotaru nodded. "Yes, Seph-kun...we did it."  
  
Her use of his shortened name caught his attention, and he smiled. "I guess you believe me, huh?"  
  
"Oh Seph-kun, I'm so sorry for doubting you...I was just so...so afraid and..."  
  
"Ssshhh...it's alright, little firefly...let's just go home...you have friends and family waiting for you."  
  
Shaking her head, Hotaru kissed her fiance and corrected him, "WE have family and friends waiting for US. And don't forget it."  
  
A chuckle escaped his lips at that. "I stand corrected. Let's go home, my love."  
  
And with that, they stood and followed the light back to the real world. 


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I no own, you no sue. Capisce?  
  
Author Notes: Ugh...this is dragging on and on. I had originally planned for this to be longer, but it will probably be finished within at most 5 chapters. My thanks, however, to the people that have given me support thus far. I really appreciate it!  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
With a gasp, the swordsman came back to himself, only to find a hand on his shoulder. Jerking his gaze around, he saw a startled Usa-chan backing away slightly before her gaze turned and she gasped.  
  
Following her line of sight, Sephiroth smiled as he saw Hotaru, her face beaming, with twin tear trails down her cheeks. Reaching a hand out, she found it instantly clasped by her fiance's own hands, his face no less joyous than hers.  
  
"Hotaru-chan! You...you're alright!" Usa-chan squealed happily, hugging her dearest friend as tightly as possible through the wires and tubes that were still attached to her body.  
  
Chuckling, Sephiroth commented, "Easy, Princess...it won't do any good if you end up giving Hotaru-chan another hospital stay due to some broken ribs." Blushing in embarassment, the princess pulled back, glancing back and forth between her friend and the man she was now unsure about.  
  
"Is...is it over?" she asked.  
  
Hotaru smiled, and nodded. "Yes...the darkness that once claimed my soul is gone...not just in remission, but gone for good. I haven't felt so...pure for quite some time," she added with a touch of wonder.  
  
Sephiroth simply nodded, although he knew that this was just the beginning. Somewhere out there was the person who had dared to hurt his love. The question now was whether to wait for these accusations to be dropped against him, or to slip away again...  
  
"...I see I should have finished the job more thoroughly. I should have known better than to expect you to die quietly."  
  
All three whirled to face the originator of the voice, and all three gasped in surprise.  
  
In the doorway stood Sephiroth, a cold sneer on his face as he gazed at the room's occupants with contempt. But...  
  
Both Usa-chan and Hotaru glanced over to see Sephiroth standing by his love's bed, his knees bent slightly, ready to protect her from harm. Everything, the hair, eyes, clothes, was identical...the only thing that separated the two from each other at all, was the set of their face. The Sephiroth that had just appeared had a cold set to his face that could freeze anyone in their tracks, while the Sephiroth that stood by Hotaru's bedside had a fierce, protective look, with a visible amount of surprise as to the intruder's likeness.  
  
Only the intruder held no hint of surprise as he balanced his Masamune on his shoulder. "So...you were here all along, my other half. I see you've followed the path of the weak, instead of living by the will that our mother gave us...or rather, gave me."  
  
Sephiroth blinked, his brows furrowing together in confusion. "Mother? What the...what do you mean? Lucrecia didn't want this..."  
  
The other Sephiroth laughed mockingly. "Lucrecia?!? That weak scientist bitch? You believe SHE was our mother?" His laugh ended abruptly, his eyes blazing coldly, almost glowing. "No...I speak of my real mother...Jenova. She charged me with claiming this planet as my own...I was defeated once...but this time, I will succeed, regardless of her absence."  
  
The first Sephiroth blinked again, and shook his head. "No, you're wrong! Jenova was only a..."  
  
"Shut up! You know nothing! You were turned and deceived by weak lies, just as I once was...the only difference is, you fail to see the truth." Taking his blade and pointing at his counterpart, he continued, "I originally planned to get rid of the senshi, the only force that could oppose me. But I see that I'll have to re-acquire you, as well...we'll never be complete apart. That just leaves...the question...of which to do first."  
  
Usa-chan almost reached for her henshin, but a slice at the air from the intruder's Masamune halted that idea. "I wouldn't do that, Princess...I'm really not in the mood for games today. in fact, you've just made my choice for me. You can stand there and watch your friend die."  
  
And as soon as those words passed his mouth, he struck. Usa-chan had little time for a gasp. Hotaru had no chance to scream. And Sephiroth...  
  
He 'moved'.  
  
His only desire being to protect the love of his life, he found himself in front of his counterpart, and to his utter astonishment, the deadly blade that had sought to kill being held between his two palms. Surprise was evident on his opponent's face as well, and Sephiroth used it to his advantage, lashing out automatically with a powerful kick to the man's midsection. With a grunt of pain from the attacker, it connected, giving Sephiroth enough time to run for his own weapon, hand outstretched...  
  
Only to find the Masamune in his hand before he took two steps. Not letting the surprise throw him off one bit, he adopted his stance, and squared off against an opponent he never expected...  
  
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Racing up the stairs, Serenity took a brief moment to transform, something she hadn't done in a while again, ready for combat. That brief moment allowed her friends to catch up, and she was pleased to note that all who were fully functional and healthy were there: Mars, Mercury, Neptune, and her husband all stood ready. She smiled gratefully at all of them, nodded up towards their destination, and then raced off at a graceful speed, the others right behind her.  
  
As they reached the top of the stairs, a loud metallic 'CLANG!' resounded through the corridor, accompanied by the sight of two unconscious guards slumped outside Hotaru's room. With growing fear for not only the well-being of one of her senshi and friends, but also her daughter, she ran even faster, matched only by Neptune as they approached the door, their attacks charged and ready...only to stand in shock at what greeted them.  
  
Usa-chan and Hotaru were crouched in a corner together, huddling against each other for comfort, which left the bulk of this sizable room to its two combatants...  
  
Gasps of surprise, along with a shocked, "What in Kami's name...?" came from behind her, and Sailor Moon knew that her friends were seeing the same thing she was...two Sephiroth's fighting each other with equal skill.  
  
No, she corrected herself mentally. Not equal skill. One was steadily losing ground to the other, who fought savagely, pressing his every advantage. The other was only defending, but against such an overwhelming offense, she could see that he'd soon succumb.  
  
From beside her came a series of rapid beeps, and Sailor Moon anxiously looked to Mercury for results. The time seemed to stretch out as she glanced back and forth between her friend and the combatants, the clanging and curses getting unnaturally loud.  
  
Mercury frowned, redid a few calculations on her computer, peered at both swordsman through her VR visor, and slowly blinked in surprise. She whispered finally, "I...I can't tell...they're both the same...!"  
  
That seemed to break the spell the two combatants were under, the two of them glancing back over at the door. Seeing three senshi ready to throw attacks at them, with backup available, both Sephiroth's responded at the same time.  
  
Holding out a hand for pause, they shouted, "Wait!" in perfect unison. A brief glance at each other, and the attacker smirked before firing a powerful fire blast at the clustered senshi and their accompanying knight. The defending warrior had barely enough time to cast a protective barrier, sparing them the worst of the attack...unfortunately, they were still blown back from the shockwave, hitting the opposite wall with audible impacts.  
  
That was the last straw.  
  
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!" Sephiroth roared, attacking his opponent with unbridled ferocity. Whereas he was once the defender, now his opponent was hard pressed to keep up with the attack, his movements now panicked. In desperation, he cast another spell, this one directed at the floor beneath their feet. With little warning, the floor quickly gave way, depositing both swordsman into another(thankfully unoccupied) hospital room. Sephiroth landed a bit awkwardly, but fared well enough to resume the vicious attack on his counterpart as the fight migrated out of the room, and down the hall...  
  
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Blinking in surprise at how quickly events had transpired, it took a few moments before the two young senshi realized the serious predicament that their parents were in. With simultaneous cries, Usa-chan and Hotaru gingerly made their way around the new skylight for the lower room, and ran into the hall.  
  
To their relief, everyone was alright, though a little battered from the shockwave. Moon was, surprisingly, the first up, helping her husband to his feet before she went to assist the others. Mercury was the worst off, but still lucky: a twisted ankle from landing wrong. After a short healing touch from Hotaru(despite everyone's protests that she should still be resting), and it was as good as new.  
  
Despite the pressing business, Moon still was able to get the high points of what had transpired from her daughter and Hotaru, which led her to believe that her Pluto had been right...but what did all of this mean? The only time Pluto showed up, generally, was when the future was in grave danger. Was now such a time? But how?  
  
Another explosion drew their attention this one from several floors below. Despite her pleas, and then orders, for Hotaru to stay behind, the senshi of silence insisted on going with her companions. Transforming with her friend, Saturn stood ready, and followed her comrades as fast as her feet could take her. Once they got to the lower levels, it was fairly easy to tell where the two combatants had gone, judging from the trail of destruction that they left. Thankfully, there were no fatal casualties, though from what little Moon knew of medicine, several guards and medical staff would be laid up for an extended period of time.  
  
"MOON!" she heard a shout from behind, which gave her pause for a moment. Turning her head, she saw her brother, along with Venus, heading her way from a side corridor. On his face was immeasurable relief, along with surprise. "What the hell's going on here?!? It looks like World War III broke out!" he exclaimed.  
  
Heading in the direction that she heard another explosion from(what were they DOING, she thought), she shouted back, "Just follow me! Suffice it to say you were right!" With that out of the way, she continued running as fast as she could, heading through several walls until they emerged in a familiar area. As soon as they recognized it, each senshi immediately gasped in alarm, figuring quickly the intruder's most likely destination.  
  
The holding chamber for the Ginzuishou. 


	11. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own...don't sue.  
  
Author Notes: After some difficulties, I managed to squeeze this chapter out. I like it, personally: Those of you who have been waiting patiently to find out WTF the deal is, here's your answer, in this chapter! Comments and critiques are, as always, welcome. Flames will be reflected and sent back to the sender.  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
Sephiroth held his Masamune blade high in a counteroffensive posture, his eyes flicking back and forth, trying to find his target through the smoke. A vague thought passed through his mind that it might not have been necessary to utilize his most powerful Fire spell, but the distraction gave him time to get his bearings.  
  
Stepping forward slowly, he whispered, "Where is he?" in an angry tone. Truth be told, he was, for the first time he could remember, pissed beyond belief. Coming face to face with the person who very nearly killed his beloved Hotaru was one thing, but finding out that it was someone impersonating him? That left nothing but pure, undiluted rage.  
  
Still, he managed to keep his head straight...he had the advantage, Seph could tell, in swordsmanship, but his clone obviously had superior magic. One particular spell blew a hole through three separate walls earlier in a blinding blast of green energy...the swordsman shuddered now to think of what would have happened had it connected with him.  
  
A stone crunched off to his right, and Sephiroth instantly reacted, his sword lashing out in an arc, cutting cleanly through the smoke. Even as his follow through finished, he leaned to the left, reeling in his weapon as another sword slashed the space his head had previously occupied. Gritting his teeth, the swordsman managed to keep his balance as he spun and poured his energy into another strike, which connected...albeit with the copy's sword. Both men stood there for a long while, their swords locked, neither giving an inch. It was a moment before the clone spoke.  
  
"Why do you fight against yourself, Sephiroth? Why do you ignore who you are? Have you forgotten what these...traitors did to your mother?" he asked in a sinisterly calm tone.  
  
Sephiroth growled in reply. "I don't know who the hell you think you are...but this...Jenova, is NOT my mother! And if being the ruler of this planet means I have to kill my friends, along with the woman I love, then I gladly relinquish it...I will NOT BETRAY MY FRIENDS!" he finally shouted in defiance.  
  
"Ah, but Jenova IS your mother...or do you honestly believe that Lucrecia is? Do you truly think that one so weak as she could be your mother?"  
  
Sephiroth growled. "You're the one who doesn't know anything...Jenova is nothing but an alien parasite. It didn't give birth to me...it didn't raise me. Lucrecia was my real mother...and as much as it pains me to admit it...Hojo was my father.  
  
This time, it was the double's turn to look shocked. "W, what?"  
  
Sephiroth, seeing an opportunity, continued. "Heh...that obviously proves you don't know jack about me, pal...Hojo was my father, much as I'd rather puke than mention it."  
  
Much as he loathed this guy, the swordsman had to admit that his clone recovered quickly. With a revived smirk, the man countered, "Well, that would explain a few things...it's a pity I won't get a chance to thank him...oh well. I have other things to do now, anyway...first, there's getting you out of my way..."  
  
And with that, the doppelganger fired another magical blast that connected this time, sending Sephiroth crashing into a pillar. Desperately, he tried to force himself to stay awake, to prevent this intruder from accomplishing whatever he planned to do, but that blast had taken a lot out of him...and thus, he finally succumbed to the darkness pulling him down.  
  
Staggering silghtly as Sephiroth crashed into the pillar, the clone grunted in pain, holding his head. Shaking it slightly, he managed to stay upright, and after a moment, the pain and haze cleared. 'Damn...gotta be careful...that could have knocked me out, too...' he thought to himself.  
  
With an arrogant 'hmph', the intruder turned and headed in the direction that he could feel a powerful magical source. It wasn't long before he arrived at the doors obviously housing the source in question...he hadn't come to such heavily reinforced doors in a long time, and he could feel the many wards and spells keeping this chamber safe. Chuckling in amusement, the stranger gave a slight flex of his fingers, forcing the doors to fly outward, almost off of their hinges.  
  
Striding arrogantly into the room, his gaze was occupied not by the magnificent architecture of the room, or the crystalline layer that covered every inch of the floor, walls, and ceiling...but rather by the single silver crystal that lay suspended over a simple pedestal in the middle of the room.  
  
Smiling wickedly, he approached the pedestal, and reached for the crystal...  
  
And with a searing rush of wind, a bolt of fire flew past his head, singing his ear and hair. His head jerked up as he glanced back out of the corner of his eyes, knowing before he turned what he'd see.  
  
Sure enough, there they were: each of the senshi that were still in fighting condition stood there, each of them with a prepped attack, and with one target. Mars, naturally, was the most visibly furious: although the other senshi and their companions didn't seem to be too far off in terms of anger.  
  
The fire senshi was the first to speak: "Drop your sword NOW! And do it slow, or the next fire arrow's going to be in a spot that will end your woman problems for good!" she snarled.  
  
Smiling mockingly, Sephiroth raised his hands in surrender, sword still in his left, up to about shoulder height, the blade dangling downward as the hilt was suspended in his fingers. After a long, pregnant pause, he let it fall, the blade hitting the floor with a loud 'CLANG!'  
  
Some of the senshi visibly relaxed at his disarming, which caused Sephiroth to chuckle.  
  
"What the hell are you laughing at?!?" Endymion demanded, tensing.  
  
His eyes roaming over the group, the swordsman answered, "You poor fools...what is there NOT to laugh at? You stand ready to kill one you call a friend, even as you mark your enemy at the same time...it's just so amusing! And the best part is, you don't even know you're doing that!"  
  
Confusion instantly appeared on everyone's faces at that statement, and each senshi looked at the others...providing him with the opportunity he needed.  
  
A snap of his fingers, and the entire room was filled with bolts of lightning, striking everywhere, gouging holes into the ground or searing flesh. With the distraction provided, Sephiroth quickly grabbed his sword, and then turned, snatching the crystal from its pedestal. Laughing maniacally, he looked back at his weakened opponents, and said, "Well...I suppose I should thank you for this...it will allow me to complete the task I was unable to last time. As a token of my gratitude, I'll make sure that I kill all of you quickly...unfortunately, you'll have to satisfy yourselves with my pet. For now, I must depart and prepare. Don't get too frightened...it will all be over soon...and you will be a part of the Planet!"  
  
And with another laugh, the swordsman vanished in a flash of light, to be replaced by something far worse...  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
'Sephiroth...'  
  
Blackness...that was all he could see. But he could still feel, so that was a good sign that he wasn't dead. "That would have really sucked," he muttered, surprised to hear that he could talk yet, too. Checking his eyes by opening and closing them a few times, he came to the conclusion that his eyes were open, but he couldn't see because the darkness around him was so complete.  
  
'Sephiroth...'  
  
Startled, the swordsman looked anxiously about him until he recognized the voice. "A, Aeris?!" he called.  
  
In the span of an eyeblink, she appeared in front of him, the ever- familiar smile on her face. Nodding her head, she spoke: "I'm glad to see you made it in time, Sephiroth...Hotaru is lucky to have such a devoted fiance."  
  
Anger consumed the man as he accusingly pointed a finger at Aeris. "You knew..." he hissed. "You knew all about this, didn't you? That this...imposter was responsible...!"  
  
A shake of the head accompanied her answer. "You are right and wrong. I knew, yes...but he is not an imposter." A slow intake of breath, and then she added, "He...is you."  
  
It was a long time before he could respond, but when he finally did, he shook his head. "That's...not possible! How can...we're so different..." Even as he spoke, however...he could feel the truth in his guide's words. This whole time, there had been a connection, and everything...everything seemed so familiar, so right...  
  
"I understand how hard it is for you to believe...but it is true, and I will explain why." Taking his hand, she led him forward along an invisible path, the area around them suddenly coalescing into a new location.  
  
Around them, three groups of people(two groups of three, and one of two) stood on various rock outcroppings, fighting a huge monster...one that bore an uncanny resemblance to...  
  
As if sensing his thoughts, Aeris nodded. "Yes...that's you, Sephiroth. Back home, you...were provoked into trying to control the Planet's powers...in essence, you attempted to become a god. But there was a small group who sought to oppose you, and prevent the destruction you promised to bring forth."  
  
Sephiroth blinked and looked over at Aeris. "...You were one of them."  
  
Sadly, she nodded and smiled. "I was...but the path that Cloud took was separate from mine...my sacrifice was necessary to make sure that their victory wasn't meaningless." At that, her gaze lingered on the blond- haired young man that he'd seen earlier.  
  
"...I'm sorry," Sephiroth whispered.  
  
Smiling, she closed her eyes tightly, trying to squeeze away the tears that threatened to come. "Don't be...I loved him, yes...but we wouldn't have worked. He's...he's happy now...and that's all I ever wanted." Shaking her head, she chuckled, a half-sob mixed in. "We're drifting from the point, anyway...what happened here, was the battle to end all battles. Cloud and the others who sought to oppose you knew that unless you were defeated, Meteor, which was summoned by you, would crash into the planet, destroying everyone on it."  
  
"And so they fought me...and I lost," he finished bluntly.  
  
Aeris touched his arm gently. "...Yes. But what happened was something that no one could have predicted." The scene around them shifted, to a standoff between himself, and the young man...Cloud, his name was Cloud...squaring off against each other. Aeris continued, "Cloud used his most powerful attack, called Omnislash, to defeat you at long last. But when he used it, there was a consequence."  
  
Cloud rushed forward and began striking his past self furiously, with impossible-to-follow blows that caused Sephiroth to wince periodically. Finally, he leapt into the air, gathering energy into his sword...  
  
"When the Planet's energies combined in such an explosive burst this deep in its core, a dimensional rip occurred, flinging you into the farthest reaches of what some call 'D-space'. In addition, the Planet's energy succeeded in tearing your very essence apart...normal people would have died, but you...you simply divided into two identical people...but with different memories," the woman continued.  
  
To emphasize her point, Cloud finally dropped down, his sword crashing with a tremendous blast of energy into his opponent's body. As the explosion grew, the scene faded, leaving Aeris and Sephiroth alone once more. Finally, he turned to face his guide, and asked, "So...that's why he believes that Jenova, and not Lucrecia, is our mother?"  
  
Nodding, she clarified, "Among other things. He is, for lack of a better term, all the darkness that you once carried. You represent the light that had remained dormant inside of him since that battle long ago."  
  
Holding his head with one hand, the warrior shook his head. "Wait, wait...why are you telling me all of this? This information...it doesn't seem to make any sense, or impart any knowledge as to how I can beat my...other half..."  
  
Aeris smiled at that, and answered, "You can't beat him...not in the normal sense. Because he is you, and you are him, any injuries inflicted on one will cause both to suffer. But...there is a way...and it's only a possibility because you've grown so much. If you were as weak as you were back then, there would be no chance." Grinning happily since the first time he saw her, she continued, "But you have people you fight to defend...ones who you can call friends...and a woman who loves you more than anything."  
  
Looking off to the side, Sephiroth nodded slowly. "Yeah...yeah, I suppose I do. But...how can I win?"  
  
"From the inside...fight from the heart," she answered, placing her own small hand over his heart. "Just remember everyone you're fighting for...and all will be well."  
  
With little pause, the swordsman disappeared from this dark realm, leaving the young Cetra flower girl behind. Her hand dropped to her side as the other clenched into a fist at her own chest, her face creased in concern despite her confident words.  
  
"Worried?"  
  
Aeris gasped as she turned, but relaxed when she saw who stood there. "Pluto! You scared me!"  
  
A small smile appeared on the senshi of time's face as she shrugged apologetically. "Everyone else complains about that, too...I suppose it's a habit I should try to kick."  
  
A giggle came from Aeris at that before she returned to her original concern. "...Yes. I am concerned. I know that your daughter loves him, and that the others care for him...but I wonder if that will be enough strength for him to win."  
  
"Time will tell," Pluto answered with a nonchalant air.  
  
The flower girl turned and shot a playful glare at her companion. "No wonder you're so solitary...no one can ever get a straight answer out of you."  
  
"It's not wise to know too much about one's own destiny...would you have gone through with your prayers if you had known Sephiroth would kill you there?" Pluto countered.  
  
"Yes," Aeris answered without hesitation. After a long gaze from Pluto, she sighed. "Maybe...oh, I don't know...I might have taken someone with me..."  
  
"And that would have screwed everything up...had you taken someone with you, chances are good that Sephiroth would have killed both of you, and that would have put your friends in even more danger..." The senshi sighed, then. "But anyway...we're rambling on and on about nothing...are you ready to go back?"  
  
Aeris glanced at the spot Sephiroth had once occupied, and then slowly nodded.  
  
Smiling softly, Pluto then raised her Time Staff, summoning a massive doorway before her companion. As Aeris turned to the door, it creaked open to allow her entry. Before taking the final few steps, she turned back, whispering, "Thank you...for allowing me to help him."  
  
Pluto smiled softly and nodded, and Aeris stepped back through into her own world... 


	12. Chapter 11

**_Author's Notes_**: WA-HOO! Good news to all! I have a CD burner of my own! Yes, pity me, for I have JUST rejoined the twenty-first century! Why am I telling you this? For one specific reason: this whole time I've been writing my fanfics, I have ALSO been constructing a soundtrack to my SM fanfics! For those who are interested, I am willing to mail, at my own expense, a CD with this music! No, it's not all Sailor Moon music, but it IS music that is already pre-made...all I'm doing is organizing it onto a CD for playing while you read!;) Thus far, I only have the soundtrack for Crystal Dreams ready. If you're interested, lemme know, and we'll work something out!

Thanks go to Heimdal88ed for his harsh, yet fair, critiques. Unfortunately for him, I will continue to use the little bits that annoy the spit out of him.;):P

**Disclaimer**: There are many things in this world I don't own...the senshi, Endymion, Urawa, and Sephiroth are just a few. Don't sue, for you will be laughed at.

**Chapter Eleven**

"Son of a...!" Neptune uncharacteristically whispered as her eyes finally focused on the horror that replaced their enemy.

It could have once been called a dragon...judging from its size and shape. But its skin was badly rotted, revealing it's skeleton in several places. Thankfully, much to the relief of the queasier combatants, nothing further was visible.

Serin helped his niece to her feet, who stared wide eyed at this rotting creature, which stared back at its enemies, growling low in its throat. Finally, rearing its head back, the creature let loose a rumbling howl that shook the stone walls around them, making everyone duck instinctively.

Endymion was quick to act, throwing one of his infamous rose missiles, which embedded itself into the creature's neck. Surprisingly, the attack made it stumble back a step and a half as it growled in shock. Peering at them closely, the dragon seemingly grinned, and then inhaled slowly.

Both Mercury and Serin knew what was coming, and screamed, "GET DOWN!" to the others as they followed their own advice. Fortunately, no one was left in the path of the dragon's blast of dark breath, which sizzled furiously against the far wall.

Sailor Moon was quick to respond afterwards, jumping up and firing off a Spiral Heart attack that struck the beast's left flank, eliciting a roar of rage from it's mouth. It's eyes glowed a deep red as it spread its decaying wings and began to flap them furiously, sending powerful gusts of wind through the room. Sailor Moon, Mercury, and Endymion were unfortunately blown against the nearest wall, crashing heavily before they slumped down, only semi-conscious. Neptune, Mars, Usa-chan, and Serin managed to avoid the gusts by staying down, or low to the ground.

Finally, the wings quit flapping, and returned to their resting positions, prompting a counterattack from Mars, who quickly shot off a Flame Sniper attack that pierced the creature's neck. Another howl erupted from the dragon, which was followed by more as Neptune and Serin both hammered at the beast, driving it back, and keeping it off balance. Unfortunately, it still seemed quite willing to fight, as evidenced by it's lunging bites and intermittent blasts of it's dark breath.

A shout from behind caught Neptune's attention, and she saw with relief that Sephiroth, Hotaru and Venus had arrived. Both senshi were about to join in the fray, but Sephiroth placed hands on their shoulders, holding them back...which caused the water senshi, along with the two new arrivals, to frown.

This moment of inattention proved costly, as the dragon attempted to lunge in for another bite, this one to devour her whole. Everyone present screamed in fear as the creature snapped it's jaws shut...or attempted to, anyway. With a closer look, it became obvious why.

Serin, with a burst of speed that was almost unearthly, had managed to get in the way of the dragon's maw, and was even now holding it open with the tip of his sword plunged into the roof of the dragon's mouth. Straining heavily to keep the maw open, he screamed out, "Do something, QUICK! I can't hold this forever!!!"

Sephiroth glanced around, biting back a vicious curse. He knew how to easily defeat this creature, but Urawa was nowhere to be found...and he had no way of casting the necessary spell...

His eyes lit up in surprise, and he turned to Hotaru. "Hotaru, stay close to me. I have an idea, but you have to trust me!" he spoke urgently. His love turned and looked at him with more than a few questions, but she simply nodded, gripping her glaive tightly. Turning to Venus, he said, "Go ahead and attack...try to keep it as distracted as you can from us. Hopefully, that will keep Serin safe as well." The senshi of love shortly nodded, and began charging up an attack. Seeing that as their signal, Hotaru and Sephiroth raced along toward the dragon, getting ever closer to it's rotting body, even as Serin cried out in strenuous pain now and again.

The dragon, for its part, wasn't standing still, which would have been ideal. Even though it didn't have much room to maneuver, it was still thrashing about as much as it could, howling at the inability to swallow its painful morsel. Of course, the attacks that the other senshi were throwing at it didn't help matters.

Finally however, they reached it's body, and Sephiroth again spoke with a quick, urgent tone to his voice. "Hotaru...use your healing touch on it...use as much power as you can."

Saturn turned to look at the swordsman with an incredulous look to her face, but before she could speak, he pleaded, "Please...trust me."

Biting her lip briefly, the senshi of silence finally nodded, and then whisked her Glaive away, placing both hands on the dragon's side, fighting down the nauseating feeling of touching decaying flesh. Focusing her thoughts, she began letting her natural healing powers flow into the creature's body.

At first, nothing seemed to happen. But with no warning, the dragon suddenly blinked, and its eyes widened as its body trembled. A scream of pain and anguish burst forth from its mouth, shooting the paladin out of its mouth to roll across the floor awkwardly, coughing as he waved his hand in front of his nose.

Another scream accompanied a growing point of light that emanated from the monster's body, which grew brighter and brighter...until it finally burst out, disintegrating the vile creature.

Hotaru staggered back in shock, finding Sephiroth's arm instantly there to support her. Turning to look at him, she saw a knowing grin which she returned before giving him a brief, loving kiss.

"Serenity?!? Serenity, answer me!"

Endymion's panicked voice reached them all, prompting everyone to rush to their queen. She lay trembling on the floor, clad in her royal gowns now, making short, wheezing inhalations. This, naturally, did not help the other's state of mind.

"MOM!"

"USAGI!"

"USAGI-CHAN!"

"What the hell...?!? What IS THIS?!?"

At that moment, fortuitously enough, a team of medics arrived, led by Uranus and Jupiter, who were not quite recovered, but stubborn enough to get to their ruler and friend. Urawa trailed in behind the medics, gently pushing the other senshi away, save for his wife, as he began checking Serenity's signs manually, while Mercury did the same with her computer. Waiting anxiously, her friends stood nearby as the medics prepared for a speedy transfer back to the medical room, some clutching to their significant others, while the remainder simply hugged themselves in fear.

After several agonizing moments, both Urawa and Mercury looked at each other and blanched, before Mercury turned to the nearest staff member, and said, "Get her into the emergency ward, immediately! We don't have time to spare. Make sure everything's ready for her arrival, and take the utmost care!"

The staff member nodded, and began talking into his transmitter, while his cohorts took strategic positions around the queen's body, gently grasping her. Mercury took hold, looked at the others, and said, "Alright, one two THREE," lifting her quickly and flawlessly onto the gurney that had just been wheeled in. Seconds later, the straps were in place, and the staff arrowed out of the chamber, taking Serenity with them, Endymion and everyone else following close behind.

-----------------------------------------

It was a somber setting in the waiting room, with nearly each of the senshi pacing nervously like caged tigers. Once, Serin even told them to sit down, since they were making him even more nervous, but the resulting glare from Mars and Uranus shut him up in short order. Sephiroth, for his part, leaned back looking unconcerned, but kept his mouth shut: even though he'd been exonerated(for the most part), he didn't think it wise to tempt fate.

Finally, a weary Ami emerged from the room, drying her hands as she exited. Immediately, she was surrounded by her friends and comrades, all pelting her with questions.

"How is she?"

"Is Serenity okay?!?"

"Mom's gonna be alright, right?"

"She's okay?"

Ami quickly held up a hand for silence, which everyone gave her after a mere second had passed. Taking a deep breath, she said, "She's...she's getting worse."

Stunned silence pervaded the room, which she took to further explain before anyone else could speak. "As near as I can tell...it would seem that whatever the...the fake Sephiroth is doing with the Ginzuishou, it's reacting negatively to Serenity...if this continues..." She blinked, pulled off her glasses, and sobbed, "She...she could die within a day."

Urawa immediately stepped out after that revelation, and put a comforting arm around her shoulders, which prompted her to turn and bury her face in his chest. The other senshi, for the most part, stood in slack jawed shock, while Endymion turned and slammed his fist into a wall, screaming, "DAMMIT!"

Urawa, while still consoling his wife, looked over at Usa-chan and Endymion, and said, "She wants to see you, Endymion and Usa-chan...alone. It was her specific order," he added helplessly, upon seeing the questioning gazes of the other senshi. The king and princess both nodded silently, and then stepped into the room to speak with Serenity.

Uranus, upon hearing that, shrugged and turned her gaze on Sephiroth. "Fine by me...there's something else that needs to be done anyway." Calling her Space Sword into her hand, she stepped forward quickly and placed the tip of her weapon on the swordsman's chest. In a level, icy cold tone, she said, "Call me crazy, but I have a hunch you know more than you're telling us, Sephiroth...so you have two choices: Come clean, or so help me, I will kill you outright...and don't think Hotaru will stop me, either."

A gasp from Hotaru preceded a plea, which was cut short by Sephiroth's upraised hand. Matching the sky senshi's glare, he said, "I was planning on coming clean anyway...this is something everyone NEEDS to know about." Looking over the entire room, he began, telling them everything: his past from his home dimension, his fateful bid to be a god, how he had ended up here with little memory of where he'd come from. Finally, he told them precisely what Aeris had told him about the unique bond shared between him and his other half.

"That's...wow," was Mars' comment when he had finished.

"Awfully convenient explanation, too," Uranus retorted with an 'I'm not buying this' tone. Still, Sephiroth could see the grudging acceptance in her eyes...that, and the fact that she had put her Space Sword away.

"What I don't understand is what this...Aeris meant by fighting from the heart..." Serin commented.

"We can worry about that later. Right now, we've got to find out where he is, and get the Ginzuishou back. If we do that, we can save Serenity," Urawa spoke up.

Ami, naturally, was quck to point out a problem. "But we don't know where he is...and we have no effective method of searching in the time we have!"

"That's not a problem...I know where he is."

Everyone turned to Sephiroth, shocked at how he could have known...until the light bulb clicked.

"OF COURSE! They're two halves of the same coin! What one knows, the other does as well!" Jupiter exclaimed.

Ami nodded, turning to the swordsman. "Where is he, then?"

"At the NORAD ruins we discovered. He's managed to overload the generator there, enabling him to burrow deep into the core. His plan is to get into the core, and suck up every bit of this planet's energy with the Ginzuishou. He's about ready, so we don't have much time," he declared, finally standing.

Uranus stopped him by holding out a hand to keep him from going any further. "Wait."

Neptune frowned at her mate. "Uranus..."

"Don't any of you get it? He can be used by his other half just as easily as he's doing it. If we take him with us, we might as well strap big neon signs to our backs saying 'BAKA' on them," she pointed out.

"But if we DON'T take him, we can't win," Hotaru protested. "Killing the evil half means we kill Seph-kun as well...and I won't have that! The only way we can really win is by bringing him along."

Serin nodded. "I'm inclined to agree...I can't say I don't see your point, Uranus...but something tells me it would be a BAD idea not to bring him."

Seeing no support whatsoever in her idea, the sky senshi finally backed down, sighing in defeat. "Alright...but I still think it's a bad idea."

"What's a bad idea?"

Everyone turned to the door, seeing Endymion and his daughter stepping out from Serenity's room. Though he was obviously in pain, he seemed calmer than before...as did Usa-chan.

'If all goes well, we won't have anything to worry about,' thought Sephiroth. Aloud, he said, "We were just discussing out plan of attack." Quickly, he highlighted the points he had told the others. When he finished, Endymion's firm voice answered, "I want in."

Serin shook his head. "Not a chance, Endymion. You're needed here..."

"FUCK that!!!" Endymion shouted, slamming his fist against the door. "My wife is DYING in there, and you want me to sit here and watch her waste away!?! I won't have it! I want a piece of this bastard, and I will have it!!!"

Just as it seemed everyone would buckled under that storm of rage, Sephiroth again stepped forward. "...Endymion," he began, catching everyone by surprise, "I can't say I don't understand your feelings. But we need all the time we can get to finish this. We want to come back to a total success...and the only way we can do that is if you remain here."

"But..."

"Listen to me," Seph cut the king off. "Having you here will make Serenity fight this...disease, or reaction...whatever you want to call it, that much harder. You can provide her with the strength she needs to keep fighting...no one else can do that as much as you. As close as she is to all of her friends, and vice versa, I don't think I'm out of line by saying that you have a bond with her that no one can match." Stepping forward again, he placed his hands on Endymion's shoulders. "You can get a piece of that bastard...by staying here, with your wife."

For a brief moment, Endymion appeared as though he would argue the point more. However, he sighed, and slumped, nodding in agreement. "Alright...I...I'll stay."

Urawa tapped a finger against his chin. "Come to think of it...it probably wouldn't be a bad idea for two others to stay beyond the king and princess...added incentive, I guess," he added with a shrug.

"I'll stay," Mars said, surprising no one.

"As will I. Just in case, there should be a doctor she would recognize as a friend," Ami added.

Uranus nodded. "Alright...let's get going to this NORAD site, then..."

With a chorus of acknowledgements, everyone save for Ami, Mars, Endymion and Usa-chan filed out. Shortly thereafter though, Sephiroth pulled Saturn back from earshot.

"...What is it, Seph?" she asked.

The warrior's expression was deeply troubled as he struggled to find the right words, weighing each sentence carefully. Finally, he sighed and decided to be blunt: "Hotaru...I'm thinking that maybe we shouldn't get married."

The senshi of silence nearly dropped to her knees, feeling as though she'd been gut-punched. Stopping and looking at her fiance with wide, disbelieving eyes, she stammered, "W...why?!?"

"Hotaru...all this time...when you thought you knew me, when I thought I knew me...it was a lie. You've only fallen in love with one half of a whole being...and if things turn out...I may not be the same." Sighing, he looked off to the side, his expression extremely sorrowful. "I'm not sure that I will be a man you want to love anymore."

_SLAP!_

The sound resonated through the halls, and Sephiroth staggered back, more from shock than the force of the blow itself. Holding his cheek, he looked at his love, who had tears running down her cheeks, and a furious look in her eyes.

"...DAMMIT, Sephiroth! Don't you EVER say that again! Do you think I'm STUPID! Do you really think I give and take my love like money? When I fell in love with you, it was because I truly, honestly LOVED you!!! I've already thought about this, Sephiroth, and you know what conclusion I came to?!?"

The swordsman could only manage a slow, silent shake of his head, still holding his cheek.

"It was that no matter what you look like, or no matter what happens, you will always be Sephiroth! And I will always love this part of you!" Flinging herself into his chest, she sobbed, "Please...don't ever say that again! I love you, Sephiroth...no matter what you think you ARE Sephiroth...and you ARE the man I will always love...no matter what!"

Slowly, his arms encircled Saturn's waist, holding her close as she continued to softly cry against his chest. 'Idiot,' he thought to himself. 'You should have known better than that...you shouldn't have doubted the power of love...'

Shaking his head at his own stupidity, he leaned against a wall, still holding his fiancee...as long as she wanted him to, he would...and no force on earth could stop him from providing this little comfort.

-----------------------------------

Around a corner, Uranus smiled slightly, and nodded her head in approval, earning an amused glance from his mate.

"What?" the sky senshi asked.

"It's just odd...a minute ago you were ready to run him through, and now...you really want him in the family, don't you?" Neptune asked with a light chuckle.

Uranus blushed. "Well...yeah, maybe. It'd be kind of nice to have a son...even if he was an in-law. And, he's a pain in the ass at times, but..."

Neptune outright grinned at that. "Well, some of us can be more than others..." she finished with a wink.

"Funny...that's not what you said last weekend," was the teasing reply.

A playful sniff was the only answer Neptune gave, as her look returned to the two lovers. Shooting a look at her own lover, the water senshi asked, "Should we break them up?"

In an uncharacteristic move, Uranus shook her head. "Let's give them a few more minutes...it might be..."

"...The last time they have together," Neptune finished sadly.


	13. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own anything here, save for the character of Serin. Don't believe me? Look at my lifestyle.:P  
  
Author's Notes: Well, even though he didn't leave a review(HINTHINT!), I have to give kudos to Deth Star Apocalypse for his help on my fic as well...the man is a VERY good sounding board, and without his help, it would have taken me even longer to get this update out. Check out his current fanfic, "A Watery Love" in the Secret of Mana section; DEFINITELY a good fic Just make sure you're nice to the guy by leaving a review too, okay?  
  
Chapter Twelve  
  
Naturally, everyone was cautious as they stepped out of the aircar that delivered the assault team to the NORAD ruins...moreso when they saw the remains of what had once been the excavation camp.  
  
Mobile shelters were either scattered to the winds like tinker toys, or barely remained standing, resembling gutted, smoking hulks of debris. Knowing what their enemy was capable of, no one took too much time to look at any of the other forms that were scattered throughout the camp.  
  
Fortunately, from what they were able to discern, the entrance seemed stable enough, and since Mercury had ascertained earlier that the reactors weren't nuclear, there was no danger of radiation.  
  
With the briefest of pauses, Sephiroth stepped inside boldly, his Masamune sword resting casually over his shoulder, followed quickly by Saturn, and then the rest of the group.  
  
The steep descent made for easy going, though the main challenge was keeping their balance. Serin was the worst off, as his armor kept throwing his balance off for one reason or another. Fortunately, he was able to get to the bottom in somewhat good shape.  
  
Sephiroth surveyed the area quietly, his eyes peering around the deep hole. Strangely enough, the hole descended further, but with ledges that jutted out at key points in a spiral pattern, leading deeper into the depths of the planet. "Convenient," he muttered.  
  
"What is?" Uranus asked quietly.  
  
By way of answer, the swordsman gestured to the ledges, sure that she could see what he did. After a brief pause, she looked up at him with a sharp gaze, and asked, "Trap?"  
  
In reply, he blinked, not having thought about that possibility. Closing his eyes briefly, he finally shook his head. "No," he said, opening his eyes. "But there is the chance that he will have left guards hiding on some of them. We'll have to be cautious." By an unspoken agreement, no one really cared to refer to their enemy by his name.  
  
Uranus nodded and turned back to the others as Sephiroth jumped to the next one gracefully, landing on one knee as he scanned the ledge anew. Seeing nothing, he crossed it to the other side, and again hopped down, hearing light 'taps' behind him followed by a heavy 'thud', which brought a soft snort of laughter from the warrior. Hopping down to the next one, Sephiroth's neck hairs immediately stood on end. His eyes flicked over the area as he knelt, his body tensing for immediate movement. Nothing caught his eye, save for the four statues of demonic bird-like creatures...  
  
Curiously, Sephiroth looked at the statues anew, a little amazed(and perturbed) at how life-like they were...almost as if...  
  
Seemingly waiting for their cue, the statues suddenly crunched and began to move, dust and bits of stone falling from their bodies. Cursing suddenly, Sephiroth brought up his sword, and shouted back up, "Stand back! I got this one!"  
  
Several taps(and another thud) answered him, leading him to believe that he wasn't being listened to. Venus' voice from behind him confirmed it: "Sorry, but we can't let you have all the glory, Sephiroth. You know what they say: 'All fun and no play makes for a dull person.' "  
  
Sephiroth closed his eyes briefly, wondering how in the world the senshi of love could store so many proverbs so incorrectly. A hiss made him open his eyes again, and he adopted his traditional stance against the creatures as they turned baleful, crimson red eyes on the group.  
  
Saturn scored first strike, shouting "Death Ribbon Revolution!" Seemingly hundreds of black ribbons raced forth, slicing into the stone skin of the gargoyles. Even though no blood was drawn, the shrieks of pain elicited from their mouths lent credence to the thought that they were hurting.  
  
Uranus and Neptune combined their powers for a massive attack at that point, completely obliterating two of the creatures, and severely wounding the others. Serin rushed in then, bringing his sword down for a finishing strike, but his sword merely cause a loud 'CLANG!' on the beast's hide. Surprised, the paladin hopped back, confusion etched on his face.  
  
Venus tried to capitalize on this moment as well, utilizing her Meteor Shower attack to strike both creatures at the same time. Her attack, however, had just as much effect as Serin's.  
  
Sephiroth spoke up then, still in his stance. "Hold your fire...they're invulnerable right now. As soon as they start to move, hit them with everything you have, and don't miss."  
  
Nodding, several of the senshi prepared some of their weaker attacks, figuring that would be all that was needed to finish them, while Serin prepared to strike with his weapon. Sure enough, after some time the gargoyles began to move as their eyes again glowed crimson.  
  
"NOW!" Sephiroth commanded, dashing forward. Serin was only a step behind him, and ironically, the two of them converged their strikes on the same creature, neatly bisecting it. The senshi, on the other hand, fired their attacks at the other gargoyle, who died with as much fuss as its brethren had.  
  
Serin looked back at the creature he had dual-killed with his companion, and grinned over at Sephiroth. "X-Strike," he joked.  
  
The latter rolled his eyes as a grin appeared on his own face before walking back to rejoin their comrades. Saturn met him halfway, and asked curiously, "How did you know about these creatures, Seph?"  
  
Sephiroth shrugged. "For lack of a better explanation, I'd have to say lucky guess...though we all know that's not it." Sighing, he added, "We've still got a ways to go. Let's hurry on. Hopefully, we won't get bogged down with anymore fights."  
  
Jupiter muttered softly, "I wouldn't bet on it..."  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
No one was surprised at how much they got bogged down with fights...it seemed that every few steps, another monster stepped out to challenge them...though some of the monsters weren't hiding in ambush, instead blundering out and surprising the senshi and their allies as much as themselves.  
  
For the most part, everyone took Sephiroth's advice seriously, although there was a scare when Serin got stabbed in the gut by a mole-like critter with a lantern and some monkish robes. The creature soon gained the ability to turn on a light bulb by clenching it in its teeth, though it was too dead to appreciate the ability Jupiter gave it. Fortunately, Saturn managed to heal the wound, despite how severe it was.  
  
After a significant amount of travel time, the group reached a fork in the road, and paused to consider their options, as well as take a much- needed rest.  
  
Sephiroth seemed to be the only one who wasn't tired, and he spent his time glancing at each path, rubbing his chin in thought. Before long, Saturn came up to him, reaching up to lay a hand on his shoulder. "Seph...sit, alright? You've been pushing yourself a lot, and you won't be any good if you keel over from exhaustion later."  
  
The swordsman glanced back at his fiancee, and shrugged. "I suppose you're right," he replied simply, and followed her back to where the rest where cooling their heels. Conversation slowly died as he approached, but he didn't mind...if he DID have a link with their enemy, it was best not to let him know about their plans unless they absolutely had to.  
  
The silence dragged on for some time, everyone looking uncomfortably at each other. Finally, Venus shook her head, sighed, and spoke up: "You know what I think we should do when we get back? We should take another day off from our duties! We can con Serenity into throwing another festival, make it citywide this time, and then we can all join in the fun."  
  
Taking the cue, Jupiter grinned. "Sounds nice...just as long as we keep Sephiroth and Serin from competing against each other," she teased her husband.  
  
Both mentioned blushed lightly at that while the senshi enjoyed a short laugh. Once the laughter died down, Sephiroth nodded with a slight smile. "I think that would be good, too...the queen seemed to really enjoy having her birthday off. And truth be told, it was nice for me to not have to worry about anything all day as well."  
  
Everyone nodded silently in agreement there. The pause stretched for a few moments before Sephiroth finally stood, grunting softly as his legs protested. "I think we've rested about as much as we can afford, though...we should get going."  
  
The others slowly stood as well, some protesting about the soreness of their legs more than others. "So...which way do we go?" Uranus asked.  
  
"Left," the warrior answered with only a slight hesitation. "And don't ask me why, it's just...something..." his voice trailed off as he gazed at the path in question.  
  
The senshi of silence took his hand, smiling when he looked at her. "It's okay, Seph. I trust you. Just remember that, alright?"  
  
"...So...left it is, then?" Serin asked, making the decision official. Seeing no arguments being raised, the group turned as one and headed down the left path  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The left path led them first through a watery area, almost like a marsh, with plant-like tendrils dipping into the water nearly everywhere. The terrain itself was difficult to navigate, but several times the group was forced to battle on the precarious platforms and ledges. Everyone found themselves dropping into the water at one point or another, but quick reactions prevented anyone from being put in severe danger.  
  
Upon entering the next 'room', the entire group stopped in wonder, several loosing gasps. Though it was little more than a simple, hollowed out cave, at the very center of the floor was a glowing green orb of some substance that shimmered beautifully. The moss that covered the ceiling only added to the effect, providing a type of tranquil effect similar to the 20th century fountains that were all the rage.  
  
"...What the hell is this?" Uranus asked, breaking the awed silence. Everyone spread out, but slowly, for fear of shattering the peaceful atmosphere.  
  
Sephiroth hesitantly approached the orb, kneeling next to it as he stared. His expression was blank for a moment, until several moments later, he blinked and nodded. Standing again, he gestured to it. "That...is part of the Lifestream of this planet."  
  
Neptune gazed curiously at him. "Lifestream?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Yeah...the planet's blood or power, for lack of a better term. This is what keeps a planet together and, to a degree, alive," he explained.  
  
"It's beautiful," Saturn whispered, getting several murmurs of agreement from her friends.  
  
"This is what my...our enemy is planning to absorb. If he absorbs the Lifestream, he'll be unstoppable...not to mention that the planet will crack apart and die, along with everything on it," the swordsman added.  
  
"That won't happen," Jupiter firmly stated. "He's going down before it gets to that point."  
  
"But if this is the case...why did he steal the Ginzuishou?" Venus queried.  
  
"...I think because it will speed up the process. The Ginzuishou amplifies powers, among other things...if he uses it, he can suck up the Lifestream energy in a matter of days, rather than months," Sephiroth hypothesized.  
  
The grim news settled in at that point, bringing fresh looks of determination to everyone's faces. "Then we'd better hurry before that happens...we can't have that much further to go, at least..."  
  
"Right. Let's kick some butt, everyone! Semper fry!" Venus said.  
  
"..." was the only response that answered her.  
  
---------------------------------------------------  
  
Thankfully, the group wasn't that far from their goal. After navigating some more ledges(and having a serious scare when a monk robed creature almost fatally stabbed Serin and Neptune), they finally reached what was obviously a straight drop to the core, emphasized not only by it's size, but also the fact that the Lifestream was so plentiful down there, one could almost swim in it. Sephiroth seemed to be reacting as well, alternately shaking his head and massaging his temples, as they prepared for the final descent.  
  
Uranus, in an uncharacteristic thought, almost suggested he stay behind, but then thought better. 'He's almost as stubborn as me, after all,' she thought with a smirk.  
  
After checking everyone out(and applying healing magic from Saturn, Serin, or Sephiroth where needed), the group paused and looked at each other once more. With a mutual nod, they jumped down. 


	14. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: For those who still need it: I...do not...own...any...characters...save...for...Serin... and two...of the...villains. Understand? Good. All is well in the land of Oz(and I don't own that either.)  
  
Author's Notes: Well...glare even though I didn't get any more reviews for my story, I'm willing to continue writing on this story. However, I expect to see more interest! I know you're reading this, so let me know what you think, dagnabbit!:P  
  
**Chapter Thirteen  
**  
"They've begun the final descent, my emperor."  
  
The words were spoken with a rough tone to a seated figure, who was hunched over, his fingers interlaced in front of his mouth, hiding his expression. The eyes, however, locked onto the speaker with laser sharp clarity.  
  
"Have they? Interesting...and your spies have not been seen?"  
  
"They have not...however, they have also not relaxed their guard." Finally, the first figure stood, and stepped into the light, revealing a gray armor clad knight, wearing a helmet that resembled the shape of a dragon's head. At his side was a red, pulsating sword with a blade that seemed to be a cross between crooked and serrated.  
  
A soft chuckle came from the seated figure, still in the shadows. "And here I was about to give you a lecture...truly, you put me to shame."  
  
The knight bowed slightly as he answered, "I wish only to serve, my emperor."  
  
"So I see...at any rate, have your spies stand ready...when they have beaten their enemy, they should be weak enough that stealing the Ginzuishou will be a trivial matter."  
  
This time, the knight hesitated, prompting the emperor to ask, "Is there a problem, Skeith?"  
  
"...Why do you not kill them, my emperor? That should also be a trivial matter in a weakened state," he asked bluntly.  
  
Both the knight and his ruler were silent for some time before the emperor finally answered, "I don't want to kill them just yet...it would be better to have them suffer first. The same way I've suffered for centuries. Stealing the Ginzuishou will be a part of that suffering."  
  
Skeith bowed deeply in response. "As you wish, your highness. With your permission, I'll oversee the operation personally."  
  
"I have a better idea, myself," a new voice interrupted. Both figures turned to see a female, clad in short red armor with matching wrist guards that had a type of techno design to them, making her seem dangerous, and yet provocative at the same time. Her black boots clomped softly on the floor as she approached, and smiled lovingly at the emperor while bowing.  
  
"And what idea is that, Raida?" Skeith asked with a hint of annoyance. Raida spared him a distasteful glance before returning her eyes to their ruler. "I've finished production of two of my units that I was working so feverishly on. All of our combat tests show that their abilities meet or exceed those of any five youma working in concert. The only thing I require before full production can begin is raw data." A sly smirk formed on her face as she tossed her ponytail back. "With my lord's generous permission, we can use this moment to acquire that data."  
  
"Out of the question! Your units are prototypes, nothing more! My troops are more than capable of stealing one insignificant gem from a group of tired old brats!" Skeith snarled.  
  
"If that was all they were, the Negaverse would have defeated them long ago," Raida calmly retorted. "That being the case, we need to move beyond such tired old thinking. Besides, assuming that the senshi manage to destroy one or both of these units, how do you think they'll feel after seeing that they've killed a human?"  
  
Raida smirked again as both men expressed interest in their own ways at that thought; Skeith arching an eyebrow, the emperor tapping a finger against his chin. Finally, the emperor spoke: "Permission...enthusiastically granted, Raida. But let's have a change in plans: .they are to attempt to steal the Ginzuishou if at all possible...but order them to retreat if one or the other suffers a serious injury or worse. We should have plenty of data at that point, and the senshi will still suffer a shock that will be to our benefit."  
  
Raida, her cheeks flushed slightly, bowed again to her ruler. "Th, thank you...I won't let you down...Emperor Jadeite!"  
  
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"Dammit, how much further down?" Uranus growled as they carefully leapt, one at a time, to the next 'stepping stone'. By most estimations, they had gone down about five hundred meters, but with the lifestream pulsing endlessly around them, coupled with Mercury's absence, there was no way to confirm this.  
  
Save for one, that is. "...Not much further now," Sephiroth answered calmly, his face completely expressionless. He stepped to the edge, gazing placidly around the area.  
  
"...Sephiroth?" Saturn asked quietly.  
  
The swordsman turned his head back and looked at the others, smiling slightly; a sort of subdued version of his normal smile. "I'm fine," he stated with an odd tone. "We're almost there...this will all be over soon..."  
  
Uranus and Neptune both tensed slightly at the subtle changes in their comrade, and Serin gripped his sword a bit tighter as well. As soon as the swordsman turned his gaze away, everyone in the group exchanged a significant look, though with more than a bit of unease...moreso on Saturn's part.  
  
"We'd better keep going, then," Jupiter said. "The sooner we get the Ginzuishou back, the sooner the queen will recover."  
  
A chorus of assents were heard from everyone, and they covered the last few 'steps' with no trouble or encounters. The previous ones had given the senshi and their comrades nasty surprises, including more of those rotting dragons. The dragons were easy enough to deal with now that they knew the trick, but the towering, iron-clad behemoths were a real challenge. With their height, and the massive swords they wielded, they were daunting enough...but the difficulty came in defeating them.  
  
Fortunately, there weren't that many of them, allowing most of the group's energy to be conserved for the upcoming battle. Finally, they began to see a larger rock platform, shaped almost like an arena. Fearlessly, Sephiroth leapt down to it, landing lightly near the edge.  
  
Not wanting to leave him alone to face whatever might be hiding there, Saturn followed suit, along with everyone else. Though the area appeared to be deserted, no one let their guard down as they started to fan out...though Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn stayed near Sephiroth.  
  
Hoping their journey was at an end, Uranus whispered, "Is this it?"  
  
She had taken only a half-step forward when a 'whoosh' cut the air, and Sephiroth's Masamune blade hovered centimeters from her face. Jerking back in surprise, the wind senshi cursed and pulled her Space Sword from its dimensional pocket. "Wha...?"  
  
For a long moment, the man didn't move, nor speak. His expression hidden from the others, he finally spoke again, with an eerie, echoing voice: "Yes...we have arrived. This is the place...where it will all end...for you!"  
  
A glowing green circle appeared in the middle of the platform, out of which appeared the other Sephiroth. Dressed precisely the same as his alter-ego, he had a cold smirk on his face...and the ginzuishou in his right hand.  
  
Seeing their goal in reach, Uranus cried out, "Space Sword Blaster!", sending a wave of energy at her opponent, despite Saturn and Neptune's desperate last-second attempt to stop her  
  
The blast never ended up reaching its target anyway, being deflected away by their comrade's blade. Lowering the Masamune slightly, Sephiroth gazed coolly at the wind senshi, who returned it, though with a degree of shock. Inwardly, she was cursing at herself for forgetting the pair's link, and endangering the man her daughter loved.  
  
Wordlessly, the first Sephiroth turned, nodded to his twin, and then raised his right hand. The clone did the same, trapping the Ginzuishou between their hands as their fingers locked. The glow from the crystal intensified, even through their skin.  
  
A horrified gasp from Saturn preceded an event no one had expected: both Sephiroths merging with each other. Their bodies seemed to simply coalesce, as if they were ingredients being mixed together. A bright, blinding flash from the silver crystal dazzled everyone present for a moment; and when it finally cleared, Sephiroth stood there, staring at his body, flexing his hands. Looking up sharply at everyone, he grinned almost maniacally, and began to chuckle. "At last...we are one again. Now, it's time to show you the true power of the Ancients...witness the power I wield!"  
  
Everyone, save for Saturn, took up positions to attack, though their enemy showed no hint of concern. Glancing about him, he let out a short "Hmph," and snapped his fingers, sending blasts of powerful lightning everywhere. Several of the smaller arcs struck Venus and Neptune, but did little more than stun them.  
  
Seeing Neptune hurt sent Uranus into a rage, as she shouted out "World SHAKING!" sending another blast of magical energy at Sephiroth. This one hit dead on, resulting in a temendous explosion.  
  
The feeling of jubilation was short-lived however, when Sephiroth was seen standing in the same place, with little to no evidence of injury. Dusting his coat off, he sneered, "Is that the best you can do? This is how it's done..."  
  
As he gestured almost carelessly, the wind senshi suddenly found herself surrounded, and then embedded, in rock. The pain was severe, causing her to scream in pain as the rock worked its way into her body.  
  
"URANUS!" everyone screamed.  
  
Sephiroth laughed wickedly, as he gestured again, causing more stone to attach and embed itself to Uranus' body. "If you want her to live, you'd better kill me quickly...otherwise, the spell will become permanent," he taunted.  
  
A rush of air was his only warning, but it served its purpose in allowing him to call his Masamune blade to his hand to meet Serin's crystal sword in mid-strike. The power from the paladin's strike was enough to push Sephiroth back a step, and drew a grunt of exertion from the crazed swordsman.  
  
As Hotaru tried vainly to heal her parent's body with her powers(and blocking any more rock from connecting with her body with her glaive), the other three nodded in concert and combined their powers into a powerful burst, catching Sephiroth from behind while Serin had him distracted. The three attacks converged and struck their target dead-center, unfortunately sending the Lunarian paladin sprawling from the shockwave. Jupiter rushed to his side desperately, hoping he was only knocked out, despite her friend's pleas.  
  
As she approached, Serin stirred and groaned, which drew a relieved sigh out of his wife's mouth. The sigh was cut short into a strangled gasp as a vise-like grip latched onto her neck, lifting her into the air and turning her to stare into Sephiorh's rage-filled eyes.  
  
"You BITCH! That, is going to cost you..." Cocking his sword arm back, the Masamune 'whooshed' in. The spray of blood was punctuated by the horrified screams of her friends as she dropped to the ground...followed by a loud clatter not far away.  
  
Confused, Sephiroth looked at the object and blinked in surprise. It was a metal sword sheathe...and it was neatly sliced in two along its length.  
  
"That...was not smart..." a strained voice spoke. Sephiroth turned in that direction to see Serin gripping his sword tightly in one hand, while the other lowered itself from throwing his scabbard.  
  
A groan of pain came from Jupiter's prone body as Venus and Neptune pulled her away, keeping a careful eye on their enemy. Sephiroth, however, gave them no acknowledgement, instead focusing on the paladin.  
  
"I see...so you tossed the sheath in the path of my sword, causing your wife to take only half-damage...impressive. However..." here he raised his sword level with his head, "It is nowhere near impressive enough to beat me...you, and your friends, will die where you stand."  
  
"DEATH RIBBON REVOLUTION!!!"  
  
The scream of anguished rage from Saturn was followed by the deadly ribbons flying forward to strike at the swordsman's back. Unlike before however, this attack connected, drawing a scream of pain from him and driving Sephiroth to his knees.  
  
"Gah...wh, what...?"  
  
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Serin darted forward to strike, but his attack was still met with Sephiroth's own blade, despite his poor positioning. Unknown to the others, there was another battle raging...  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
_[How? How could I have been hurt? I am the ruler of this planet! I am a god!]  
_  
_You didn't think for a second that you really had me under control, did you?  
_  
_[?!? No, this isn't possible! You can't be...]  
_  
_Still around? Oh, but I am...thanks to the time I spent with my friends. The time I spent laughing, eating, practicing, and protecting Crystal Tokyo with them...all of that has made me, as a whole, stronger. I've thrived on the peaceful times...while you seek nothing more than total destruction.  
_  
_[Say what you will...there's nothing you can do here...and you will watch your friends die one by one...starting with HER!]  
_  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
With a roar of rage, Sephiroth twisted his sword around Serin's own blade, and slammed the hilt into his gut, driving the wind out of the paladin. Following up on his advantage, the swordsman slammed his fist down onto Serin's head, sending him crashing to the ground.  
  
But as soon as he turned toward the senshi, Saturn attacked once more, shouting out "Death Ribbon Revolution!" Again, the ribbons connected and drew another pained scream from Sephiroth. And the inner battle shifted balance...  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
_ [This...CAN'T BE!!! I am the ruler...]_  
  
_That will be quite enough...I'm willing to accept you as a part of me...but I will not accept your megalomaniacal ways any longer...from this day forward, there will be no more deaths thanks to you.  
_  
_[You don't have the power to defeat me! You have no chance to...what?!?]  
_  
_Oh, I'm sorry...did you forget that since you figured out how to use the Ginzuishou, I would know how to do it as well? And guess what? I think that I'm a little better at it than you are...  
_  
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"NNNGGGAAAHHH!!!" Sephiroth suddenly screamed painfully. Clutching his head and chest, he stumbled about wildly, tossing his Masamune aside as he collapsed to his knees. Everyone tensed as they watched this unexpected event, unable to shake the thought that it could be a trap, but also hoping desperately that it wasn't...  
  
Finally, there was a bright flash of light, causing everyone to shield their eyes. Even then, the light seemed to penetrate their eyelids. Fortunately, it ended shortly thereafter. After taking a few moments to blink away the bright spots that were prevalent in everyone's vision, two wonderful sights greeted the senshi.  
  
One, Uranus was released from the stone spell that she had been cast in. No apparent damage was visible, though when Neptune and Saturn hugged her, she winced slightly.  
  
The second was that near Sephiroth's prone and motionless body was the Ginzuishou. Venus quickly raced over and snatched it up, backing away from their opponent's body. After the reunion ended, and both Serin and Jupiter were treated to the best of Saturn's ability, attention shifted back to the original reason they had come so far.  
  
"Is he...?" Neptune asked quietly, not daring to finish the question.  
  
"I don't know...but I'm also not sure if we want to find out, either..." Uranus replied.  
  
Their answer came in the form of a soft groan from Sephiroth as he slowly stirred, pushing himself off of the ground. Everyone tensed, ready to renew their attack if need be. After a long moment, lots of groaning and whining, and several lengthy pauses as he attempted to get his bearings straight, the swordsman finally regained his feet. Glancing around, he looked at his hands first, then his body, and finally turned his gaze to the group. Seeing their wary stances, along with a degree of hope in Saturn's eyes, he smiled slightly. "It's okay...I'm me again," he tried to assure them.  
  
Uranus didn't even twitch, though the others did slightly. To the wind senshi, there was a bit too much of a change in him, not the least of which was the smile. "Prove it," she said coolly.  
  
Sephiroth's smile disappeared, and his eyes slightly narrowed. "Were you born a bitch Uranus, or do you have to work at it?"  
  
"You son of a..." she growled.  
  
Instantly, a smirk appeared on his face and he winked. "Looks like I hit the right nerve...or the wrong one, depending," he quipped.  
  
Thrown off guard by the good-natured insult, a nervous laugh found its way out of Uranus' mouth, joined in short order by the others.  
  
"I don't believe it...how did you pull it off?" Serin asked, wincing slightly from a still-sore gut shot.  
  
"Well, I..." Sephiroth's answer was cut short by a sudden rumbling sound that echoed all around them.  
  
Muttering a short curse, Venus said, "We can discuss it later! Let's get out of here first!"  
  
The senshi and Serin nodded in agreement and prepared to leave. Sephiroth however, knelt and placed a hand on their platform, his eyes closed. "Sephiroth? We have to leave!" Saturn shouted to him over the increasing rumble.  
  
A long moment passed in which the swordsman failed to respond. The group was just about to call out to him again when his eyes suddenly snapped open, his face paling slightly. Looking up as he stood, one could just detect a bit of concern and despair in his countenance. Finally, he turned to the others. "I...I can't..." he whispered. 


	15. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: WHOO! I do NOT own the characters in this fic, save for Serin. I am SO happy at the mega millions I am NOT getting! insert heavy sarcasm throughout  
  
Author's Notes: A/N is at the END of this chapter!  
  
****

****

**Chapter Fourteen**  
  
For several long moments, the only sounds were the whistling wind that had now mysteriously picked up, along with the echoing rumbling.  
  
"Can't? What do you mean 'can't'? We have to leave, NOW!" Uranus shouted with an irritated tone.  
  
Sephiroth frowned, and shook his head. "I can't leave, because if I do, the earth will be destroyed," was his simple answer. Raising a hand to forestall comment, he said, "As Venus said, time's short, so I'll be brief: apparently, my alter-ego decided that if he was going to die, so would everyone else. Remember how the Lifestream is the foundation of this planet? Well, he just knocked it out of balance, which will result in the planet's destruction." Closing his eyes as a long sigh escaped his lips, he added, "And since I'm the only one who can put things back together..."  
  
"Alright then...we'll wait right here, and you can take care of business," Jupiter reassured the swordsman.  
  
A sad smile preceded his shake of the head. "Won't work," he said simply. "This place we're at is held together by my will...and to fix things with the planet...I have to become ONE with the planet..."  
  
The only response was silence while the senshi absorbed what their friend was saying. After a few moments, Sephiroth flipped a jaunty little salute their way, turned, and began walking to the other end of the platform.  
  
"NO!"  
  
Sephiroth visibly jerked, his fists clenching, at the sound of that voice. He knew that she would be the one to stop him...and he had also hoped that she wouldn't.  
  
Throwing aside her glaive and running forward, Saturn wrapped her arms around her fiance's body, embracing him tightly as hot tears formed in her eyes. "Please...don't go, Sephiroth," she begged.  
  
The man sighed as he turned in her embrace, wrapping his own arms around her. "Hotaru...you know it has to be this way...I can't let the world get destroyed for selfish reasons..."  
  
"What about what I feel?!? What about MY feelings?!? Would that be selfish?" the senshi of silence asked, the tears falling.  
  
Seeing her like this pained him everytime, and this was no exception. Reaching up and caressing her cheek, he whispered, "You know the answer to that, Hotaru-chan...you would be willing to sacrifice your life to protect your friends...but would you ask your friends to sacrifice their own lives, and their own happiness, just for yours?"  
  
The purple-clad senshi jerked at his words, her eyes downcast. She knew her feelings were selfish, but...to lose him again, after just getting him back! The thought nearly shattered her will to go on living.  
  
A gentle hand beneath her chin raised her head, and she was met with a sudden, sweet, yearning pressure on her lips. Her arms slid up to embrace his neck, despite the differences in their height. Both of them held the kiss and embrace as long as they could before breaking for air, not even caring about their audience. When they finally broke, a look of pure love and understanding passed between them...which was nonetheless vocalized.  
  
"I love you," Hotaru whispered.  
  
"And I will always love you," came Sephiroth's reply.  
  
Another threatening, long rumble sounded again, and pieces of the area began falling away. Neptune and Uranus started to move forward to pull Hotaru back, but Sephiroth looked up and shook his head. With a thought, the group were surrounded in a sphere of energy. Shocked looks, some of betrayal, met his gaze from the inside, but he simply gave a sad smile as the sphere shot upwards like a bullet.  
  
A long moment passed before Saturn spoke again: "Thank you."  
  
Feigning confusion, her fiance asked, "For what?"  
  
A giggle came from her lips as she looked up at him. "For keeping me here a little longer...I..." Tears welled up in her eyes, but she only looked down slightly while continuing. "I know...that you can't keep me with you...but every moment I spend with you is precious. And I thank you for it."  
  
The island was now down to a few scattered islets.  
  
"Sat...no, Hotaru-chan...I'll make you a promise, okay?" Sephiroth offered.  
  
The young senshi looked up, a glimmer of hope showing through her tears. "A...a promise?"  
  
Wordlessly, Sephiroth broke their embrace, and leaned down to pick up his Masamune sword. When he turned back, there was a genuine smile on his face as he handed it to her, hilt-first. "Keep this safe...and I promise I'll be back for it."  
  
Saturn's breath caught in her throat as she gently grasped the weapon's hilt and clutched it to her body. "You...you will?"  
  
A confident smirk appeared on his face, something that was almost, but not quite sinister. "I don't care what it takes...or how long it takes, I WILL be back for it. That's my sworn oath." His face softened again into a look of sadness. "It's almost time...you should probably go, before your friends come tearing down here again."  
  
Saturn nodded, her eyes shimmering once more with tears as she vainly tried to blink them away. "I...I know..."  
  
Gently tilting her face up, Sephiroth pressed his lips to hers firmly once more, his fiancee responding eagerly. So absorbed was she in the kiss, that she failed to notice the tendrils of energy that began wisping about her body. Nor did she notice when her body began to dematerialize, the sparkles that emanated from her shooting up from where she had experienced love and heartbreak all over again.  
  
Finally, the swordsman opened his eyes and sighed. A single tear, one that he did not dare to show before, made its way down his cheek.  
  
_'You'd better hope and pray you didn't leave me a lot of work to do...because I don't want to be away from her any longer than necessary...and sometimes, not even that,'_ he mentally threatened his other half. With a forelorn look back up at the direction his friends and love had gone, he stepped off of the island's edge, and dove headfirst into the planet's core.

Author's Notes: Okay, first off, I have to thank Wild Roze for her reviews on my first story! I find it amazing that I'm still getting reviews for it, and this one! Also, a big shout out goes to sailorearthrose, along with Omega Paladin!:D Thanks a lot! Anyway, I'm sorry that this chapter is so short, but considering how sweet it is, short is good. At least, I hope it's sweet...smirk Anyway, look for my next(and possibly final) chapter coming up in...two weeks. Don't forget...the senshi have a little surprise waiting for them on the surface...


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen  
**  
"That BASTARD! I'll kill him this time!"  
  
The ranting, predictably, was being conducted by Uranus, who was absolutely livid over Sephiroth's high-handed action. Neptune, standing nearby, tried to calm her partner down, with little success. "Uranus, we talked about this earlier..."  
  
"But that doesn't give him the right to simply brush us off like that while holding Saturn hostage! I don't care HOW in love they are, I'm...what the?!?"  
  
Looking back over Neptune's shoulder, Uranus blinked, her eyes immediately narrowing. The others followed her gaze, and gasped.  
  
In the midst of the camp ruins, their aircar was now totally devastated. The hood was crumpled, with energy(both of a magical and natural nature) leaking out into the ground. The rest of the body was in no better shape...what there was of it. It seemed to have been neatly bisected, with the top half having been tossed away.  
  
"Look alert...they might still be around," Venus whispered urgently. Nodding, the rest of the group fanned out in a defensive pattern, their eyes scanning the surrounding area.  
  
Without warning, a loud 'THWACK!' was heard, immediately followed by a cry of pain from Uranus, who was sent flying by some invisible force. Jupiter and Neptune both looked around wildly, attacks ready to fly at a moment's notice...and were also sent flying by apparently the same force...though nothing could be seen.  
  
Serin tried to scan the area now, but his sword was unavoidably knocked out of his hands. Somehow, he sensed something coming, and managed to narrowly avoid a hissing blade that slashed through the air. As he landed, a wince preceded a small spray of blood from a cut on his right cheek.  
  
Though it was hard to see, everyone managed to catch sight of two transparent shapes slowly rise from the ground. As they fully stood, they suddenly began flickering, electric arcs coruscating off of them. Several tense seconds passed before they coalesced into visibility, revealing themselves to be humanoid...to an extent.  
  
Both seemed to be similar in make, resembling high-tech ninjas, what with their cybernetic exterior that covered them like a skin. Every part of their body was covered, including their faces. Aside from the faceplates(one had a blank visor over his face, while the other's face was apparently connected by three parts, with a glowing red sensor in the middle of his forehead), there was one other distinguishing feature: while one was painted in shades of blue and white, the other was painted in shades of grey and red. The grey ninja carried a _kodachi_ in his left hand with a reverse grip. The other showed no signs of carrying weapons, but Serin and the senshi knew that one didn't need to carry weapons to be deadly.  
  
The blue ninja spoke first, with a voice that echoed slightly with a mechanical undertone. "Give us the Ginzuishou, and you will not come to harm. Resist us, and die."  
  
Everyone tensed at the demand, as Venus putting the crystal safely away as quietly as she could.  
  
"Like hell...the Ginzuishou is going back where it belongs!" Uranus snarled.  
  
"You are mistaken...it will go to our master, either with your consent, or without it," the other ninja deadpanned, in a voice that was similar to, but very different from, the first's.  
  
"Don't underestimate us," Jupiter warned, the space between her hands crackling with electricity.  
  
Both ninjas stared at the senshi, allowing Serin an opportunity. Silently, he focused his mind, calling his sword to his hand. Once it appeared there, he leapt forward as silently as he could, his sword raised for a disarming blow...only to have it blocked by the kodachi-wielder. Barely taking a breath, Serin leapt back, his sword raised in a defensive posture as his opponent advanced on him, the _kodachi_ still held in a reversed grip.  
  
In the meantime, the other ninja leapt forward at the senshi, who were slightly startled...most creatures backed off or kept their distance at the sight of four senshi charging their attacks. But with inhuman speed, the bare-handed warrior slammed his elbow into Uranus' gut, driving the breath from her lungs, and disrupting her attack. Flowing with the movement, he spun around her slumping form to snap off a kick at Jupiter's head, which she barely managed to dodge...only to catch it anyway on the reverse stroke.  
  
Venus managed to fire off a Crescent Beam at her target, but the ninja saw it coming and easily dodged it, leaping high into the air and flipping with the grace of a gymnast before slamming his heels onto her left shoulder, cracking the bone. A gasp of pain was forced from the senshi of love's mouth as she staggered back, falling to the ground.  
  
Neptune fired off her own attack, a Deep Submerge, which the ninja again saw coming. This time, he simply danced to the side, leaping forward in a powerful bound to drive a foot into her face. Neptune stood frozen with fear, as she couldn't move in time to avoid the strike.  
  
Suddenly a shout of "Death Ribbon Revolution!" came from the side, forcing the ninja to cancel his attack and leap out of the way of ANOTHER attack, the black ribbons that Saturn had summoned slicing into the ground before disappearing.  
  
The ninja turned to look at the dark-haired senshi of silence(along with her glaive) briefly before raising his hands and clenching the fists, forcing four gleaming claws to erupt from his hands. Holding them crossed over his chest, he stood, waiting as the senshi regrouped. Saturn immediately went to Venus, attempting to heal her broken shoulder. Uranus quickly pulled out her Space Sword and bit her lip at the sight of the ninja's claws.  
  
"This doesn't look good," she muttered.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Serin slashed at his opponent's left side, which the warrior contemptuously blocked and countered with several rapid fists to his upper body. Staggering back, he barely managed to block all of the ninja's masterful strikes.  
  
He had been put on the defensive almost immediately, despite the awkward stance that the ninja attacked with. And no matter how hard he tried, his efforts to mount an effective defense came to naught.  
  
Still, he knocked aside another attack, driving his sword hilt at the body of his opponent. The warrior, for his part, spun to the side effortlessly, and stabbed downward with his blade.  
  
A searing pain lanced through Serin's wrist, driving a growl of pain from his lips as he winced. Glancing down, he saw that the ninja's _kodachi_ blade had pierced not only through his skin, but also through the first part of his lower arm. Blood dripped down the blade as he ceased moving, trying not to increase the damage that had been done to his limb.  
  
A rush of air was his only warning before a fist slammed powerfully into his face, immediately followed by several more blows across his body. Finally, with the sword pulled from Serin's arm(drawing a growl of pain from the paladin), the ninja carelessly spun on one heel, nailing his opponent with a roundhouse kick that sent the paladin crashing into the remains of a building wall.  
  
His mind hazy with the pain and blood loss, Serin struggled desperately to get to his feet, hearing the footsteps of his enemy approach. Unfortunately, his body constantly refused to listen to him, or simply responded sluggishly...and as he managed to get to one knee, the ninja seemed to 'float' in, driving his sword through the paladin's knee, eliciting a scream of pain from his mouth. Pulling the sword out again amidst a short spray of blood, the ninja placed the tip of his sword at Serin's neck.  
  
"Convince your comrades to surrender...and your life will be spared," the cybernetic warrior reasoned.  
  
Clutching his knee, Serin growled, "Like...hell! I won't betray the trust I've earned...and I WILL NOT endanger my sister!!!"  
  
It was at that moment that something unexpected happened. The ninja visibly shook at Serin's defiant statement, the kodachi lowering slightly. The sensor then blinked several times, almost as if it were an actual eye, while the warrior shook his head.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Uranus and Saturn leapt forward in a two-pronged attack, their weapons slashing from two different sides, at two different heights. Their enemy, seeing their true plan, simply blocked the strikes with his claws. Shoving them back, he then took the initiative and leapt up slightly, delivering a mid-air split kick to each senshi, which stunned and knocked them back. Seizing the initiative, the ninja darted forward at the others, who had been hanging back, ready to fire their attacks if he dodged the first ones.  
  
The suddenness of their enemy's counterattack surprised the senshi, and so they were easy prey for the ninja, who first slammed an elbow into Neptune's gut, disrupting her attack. Sliding around her slumping body, he then drove a clawed fist into Venus' shoulder, pinning her to a wall amidst a short spray of blood.  
  
"Aaahhh...!" she screamed, grabbing at the bladed weapon, which the ninja stubbornly kept buried in her shoulder, causing a large red stain to grow on her fuku.  
  
"VENUS!" Serin screamed, attempting to regain his feet, but dropping back down with a growl of pain as his knee protested violently. The other senshi screamed in shock, but none could get close enough to help her, nor did they have a good shot where they were. Everyone could only watch in horror as the warrior raised his other claw and then brought it down in a blur...  
  
Only to have it be stopped with a loud 'KEEN!' sound. The source became obvious quickly: shockingly enough, the first ninja was blocking his comrade's attack with his _kodachi_!  
  
The two ninjas stared at each other for a long moment before the one with the _kodachi_ shoved the killing claw away, and slashed at the other, shattering the blades that held the senshi of love pinned. The second hopped back, his postured suggesting one of confusion...which was mirrored almost exactly in the posture of the senshi.  
  
Viciously, the two attacked each other, their blows effortlessly blocked, re-directed and/or countered as they searched for an opening in the other's defense. The blows and movements became too fast even for Jupiter and Uranus, trained martial artists, to follow. And incredibly, it seemed that the speed of their exchanges was increasing further!  
  
A slight movement caught Uranus' eye, and she blinked. Venus, despite her wound, was trying to surreptitiously regain her feet and aim her index finger at the two combatants. Impressed by her strength of will, the wind senshi looked for a way to assist her comrade, but could find none...save for praying that she was able to pull it off.  
  
Finally, the combatants spun, with the claw-bearer's back facing Venus, as he unleashed a rapid series of punches on his opponent. Seeing that she'd never get another opportunity, Venus whispered, "Please...please hit them..." Gathering her energy, she fired off one more Crescent Beam. The yellow beam arrowed forward, impossibly fast. Everyone who saw it held their breath, hoping for a favorable outcome...  
  
And collectively let it out as the first ninja was struck dead-center by the attack. Passing right through his body, it arrowed in on the second attacker...  
  
...who easily dodged it by rolling to the side almost casually. Tensing, the senshi prepared themselves to renew their attack, hoping that against one, they had a real chance now.  
  
The ninja, for his part, looked over at his comrade's body, then at the senshi. For a long moment, no sound or movement was made as the two opponents stared at each other.  
  
Finally, a familiar sound, one of an approaching aircar, was heard. The cybernetic warrior turned his head in its direction, and then slowly nodded. Sharply returning his gaze to the senshi, he flipped a jaunty salute at them. "Another time, perhaps...we shall meet again," he ominously stated. With that, he flipped backwards high into the air, his invisibility activating in midair. A soft sound of his landing was heard, and then absolute silence, save for the growing noise from the aircar.  
  
Too stunned to even accept their good fortune, the senshi immediately crowded around Venus, Uranus probing the wound methodically as the senshi of love winced at the pain. Serin managed to hobble over about halfway before he was met by Jupiter, who forcibly sat him down, insisting he was to wait for his wound to be healed.  
  
Saturn focused her energy on Venus' gash, while explaining to everyone what had happened after they had been forcibly ejected. She had just finished healing her friend when the aircars(there had been two, rather than one) landed, disgorging the royal family, a small group of guards, and Mercury, Urawa, and Mars.  
  
The guards were quick to set up a perimeter, searching for the missing attacker. Venus was all too happy to relinquish the Ginzuishou back to their friend and leader while Mercury went over to the enemy casualty, cautiously followed by Urawa and Uranus.  
  
"Interesting that he hasn't disintegrated away by now," the wind senshi observed. Mercury nodded idly, stopping at what she judged to be a safe distance before pulling out her computer and activating her visor. Tapping into the device at an inhuman speed, she received results almost immediately that made her blanch. After a long, pregnant pause, she typed in a few more commands and prompts, much slower this time. Urawa, who glanced at her from the side, wondered what was wrong. He had been worried today too, concerned by his vision that one of the senshi was going to die. Thankfully, that hadn't come to pass...but his wife's reaction was unnerving, to say the least.  
  
Suddenly, Mercury dropped her computer and raced toward the body, ignoring Uranus' startled shout. Kneeling beside it, the girl genius searched for the catch to its visor, stumbling upon it quite by accident. Just as her comrade and husband reached her side to pull the ice senshi back, she fell back, having successfully pried the visor loose.  
  
All three of them silently stared at what was revealed, each feeling the blood drain from their faces. Uranus, after a brief moment, stood and aimlessly walked away, shaking her head slowly and blinking. Shortly afterwards, Neptune came across her partner, a worried frown crossing her face upon seeing her like this.  
  
"Ruka...wh, what's wrong?" she asked.  
  
Uranus blankly looked up at her aqua-haired lover, and whispered, "You'll never believe what Mercury just found out...about that ninja."  
  
The tone of voice, more than the statement, began to panic Neptune further. "What? What's wrong, Uranus?"  
  
Gesturing half-heartedly, she muttered, "Just go see...go see. You'll find out soon enough."  
  
Torn between fear, and curiousity over what could cause her lover to be so shaken, Neptune turned and ran over to where the wind senshi had indicated.  
  
It was easy to see exactly where she needed to go, as there was a small crowd already there. Saturn was kneeling nearby, taking deep breaths as she clutched her stomach. Many of the other senshi were in a similar state of shock to Uranus. Venus was the most distressed, crying hysterically.  
  
Finally overcome with panic, Neptune uncharacteristically pushed a guard out of the way to get a good view...and gasped loudly.  
  
The corpse was human. 


	17. Epilogue Author's Notes

**Epilogue  
**  
"So, it was a failure..." Skeith growled.  
  
"Only the main objective," Raida insisted. "The secondary objective was still achieved...the senshi have suffered a psychological shock the likes of which has never been accomplished. I would think even the death of their leader pales in comparison to this," she finished with a smirk.  
  
"I'm inclined to agree," Jadeite nodded, looking away from their surviving prototype. "While it was an expensive success, the prize will be well worth it. We'll simply have to remain incognito for a bit longer before we make our presence truly known."  
  
Skeith nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Quite interesting, though...how that recorder on our survivor ceased functioning shortly after the battle began," he mused.  
  
Raida shrugged. "Probably just a lucky shot by the senshi...or he was pushed to his limits sooner than expected, which created a feedback dump that shorted out the recorder. At this point, it's impossible to tell."  
  
"Not to mention pointless," Jadeite added, turning his gaze on Skeith. "Besides, we have more important matters to attend to. Thanks to our sleeper agents, we've been able to gather a steady, undetectable supply of energy. At this rate, it will take some time before we have enough to bring sufficient numbers of our youma from the Negaverse. I want you to start drawing up plans for our assault. Raida, you will do your best to continue production of your cyber warriors; I expect that the next batch will prove to be deadlier than our previous two. I have a special mission in mind for them."  
  
Raida grinned devilishly and winked at her sovereign. "Of course, my lord. How long do I have?"  
  
The emperor thought for a brief moment. "At most, a year...but I would say that eight to ten months is more likely."  
  
Raida frowned slightly. "I can have one ready in that amount of time...one FULLY ready, anyway. Others would be ready as well, but they would be far less efficient than the one. I don't even think that they would be up to the prototype's level."  
  
"Fine. Just see to it that we have that one ready on time. I want all that data inputted and optimized...whatever you have to do to get it working beyond specs. Understood?" Jadeite asked.  
  
"Completely, your highness."  
  
Just then, a lizard-like youma approached the trio, and bowed respectfully. "Forgive the intrusion, but we have just received word from Source M. He has some very interesting news that you might wish to hear."  
  
Raida nodded, and looked to her emperor, who gave his own nod of assent. Thus assured, the red-clad woman walked to a monitor and activated it...revealing the youthful face of Medivh.  
  
"Greetings, Medivh...I presume this call is worth the risk?" Skeith questioned smoothly.  
  
The young wizard grinned ferally. "I think you'll agree that this was worth 150% of the risk. It would seem that senshi Venus has resigned her post."  
  
"Venus...the one who killed our cybernetic unit?" Jadeite asked eagerly.  
  
"The very same, m'lord. Raida's plan worked better than one could have anticipated, I think. She left only an hour ago, and Serenity herself just made the announcement."  
  
Restraining himself with a degree of difficulty, Jadeite nodded slowly as a smile spread on his features. "Excellent. This will give us more breathing room to plan our strategy, as the senshi will be focused on finding a replacement for their friend." Straightening, he added, "Keep us updated on any further changes, Medivh...and in eight months, I want you to keep us informed regularly on the queen's schedule."  
  
"Emperor? Begging your pardon, but...may I ask why?" the teen asked.  
  
"Simple...our next unit...will be her executioner!"  
  
---------------------------------------------------------  
  
_Later...  
_  
Jadeite slowly entered his chambers, his face showing an uncharacteristic softness. Stepping to the side of one of the beds located inside, he asked softly, "How are you doing?"  
  
The figure lying there shifted slightly, turning its eyes to the Negaverse emperor. "Jadeite..." the figure whispered in a melodic, feminine voice.  
  
"Ssshhh...don't try to talk if it hurts. I just wanted to see you, and how you were doing," Jadeite whispered, while gripping the figure's hand.  
  
Closing its eyes, the figure sighed. "I'm...fine...for now..."  
  
Jadeite smirked arrogantly as he reached down and stroked the prone figure's hair. "You always were a bad liar, Tethys," he whispered.  
  
The youma's eyes crinkled as she smiled in response, though only other denizens of the Negaverse could pick up on this, due to her lack of a mouth. "Is that so? That doesn't seem to have changed how you feel about me..." she teased lightly.  
  
"True enough...I just thought you'd like to know that we're very close to our goal now. Soon, the Ginzuishou will be ours, and we can rule both worlds as King and Queen," Jadeite promised. "And...we can cure your sickness, along with the wounds you suffered."  
  
Tethys sighed, closing her eyes. "Jadeite...you know I love you. But...why do you not ask the senshi for their help? Despite who we are, I feel that they would be willing to help us in this matter..."  
  
The emperor shook his head, gritting his teeth angrily. "No...I won't go to them, asking for help like a dog. I want them to suffer as I have, for years on end; first, with not knowing you were still alive, and then enduring Eternal Sleep for so many centuries. I can't forgive them for that..." he stated bitterly.  
  
Tethys opened her eyes, and placed a hand on Jadeite's. "I understand, love. I felt the same pain when I learned what had happened to you...and while I'm not sure this is the correct path, I want you to know that I love and support you, regardless."  
  
Taking her hand and gently kissing the back of it, Jadeite smiled at his companion. "This victory...this final victory over our accursed enemies, my dear Tethys...I dedicate to you."

**Author's Notes:** WOW! I finished this one within 5 years! Woo-hoo! And what a cliffhanger, too! At least one question has been answered: why Sephiroth was in the world of Sailor Moon! It's like I tell a LOT of my friends: "Everyone I put in a fic has a reason for being there." Anyway, Enemy Within? has officially been FINISHED! The next installment is called Sailor Moon: Endgame, and we can pretty much guess already what some events are going to be. Be forewarned, however; not everyone will make it through alive! Also, look for familiar senshi to appear in there...I have plans to bring in the Starlights, Kakyuu, and the Asteroid Senshi...perhaps more! And what about that ninja? Why did he aid the senshi? Well...you'll find out why in the next installment! Anyway, that's all. A BIG round of thanks goes to the following people: All of my reviewers, for their kind words and criticisms princess5775, for her threats to keep me on task Phenix Wind, for her encouragement and help in keeping Saturn(her favorite) in character...though I did err in one spot... frostblast, for tossing out ideas, and being a general sounding board Heimdal86ed, for his critiques and ideas and the people at ff.net for allowing me to post my works. Hopefully, this will continue to be an outstanding professional relationship! 


End file.
